Care home reopens after deaths of three residents

Residents have returned to a care home in Dorset where three elderly people died in one night.

An 86-year-old woman and two men, aged 74 and 91, were found dead at Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage on 23 October last year.

Fears about carbon monoxide poisoning at the home, run by Agincare, meant 50 residents were evacuated to a local church hall.

The company said all agencies, including Dorset Council and the Care Quality Commission, had agreed it was safe for residents to return following health and safety checks. An investigation into the deaths is ongoing.

A 60-year-old woman, who the BBC understands to be the manager of the care home, was arrested at the time on suspicion of manslaughter and gross negligence.

She was was later released without charge.

Dorset Police, which previously said carbon monoxide poisoning was a possible cause, said the deaths were still being treated as "unexplained".

Detectives said it could take months to establish what happened and were awaiting the results of "detailed forensic submissions and analysis".

Seven residents were also taken to hospital after the incident, while those remaining were relocated to care homes in Dorset, Hampshire and Sussex.

A spokesperson for Agincare said they were still working closely with residents and their families.

"We are still unable to give any more information on the cause of deaths... until the police and coroner investigations are completed," they said.

They warned it could take "several more months".

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