Woman dies after falling in London care home lacking reachable alarm

According to a Prevention of Future Deaths report, Ms Murphy fell in the bathroom of Deer Park View care home in London on January 15 and could not reach the emergency call bell hanging from the ceiling. She was not wearing a personal alarm and, despite shouting repeatedly, only managed to attract limited attention before suffering a heart attack and later dying in hospital on January 30. The coroner, Melanie Lee, noted that residents lacked wearable emergency buttons and that the fixed alarm cord was inaccessible from the floor.

Care UK, which runs the facility, confirmed that wearable alarms were not available at the time of the incident, though other sensors and call bells existed, and said it has now ordered such devices and carried out further risk assessments. The home continues to hold a “Good” rating from the Care Quality Commission, and the operator expressed condolences to the family while emphasizing its commitment to safety improvements.