Cawston Park specialist care unit staff 'failed to give CPR' to woman

Staff at a specialist care unit did not attempt to resuscitate a woman with epilepsy, learning difficulties and sleep apnoea when she was found unconscious, an inquest heard.

Joanna Bailey, 36, died at Cawston Park in Norfolk on 28 April 2018.

Jurors heard she was found by a worker whose CPR training had expired, and the private hospital near Aylsham - which care for adults with complex needs - had been short-staffed that night.

The hearing in Norwich continues.

Sleep apnoea is a condition where your breathing stop and starts when asleep.

Support worker Dan Turco told the coroner's court he went to check on Ms Bailey just after 03:00 BST and found she was not breathing and had blood around her mouth.

The inquest heard he went to get help from colleagues, including the nurse in charge, but no-one administered CPR until paramedics arrived.

Mr Turco was asked: "Did you know the longer you leave someone without CPR, the less chance they have of surviving?"

He told the court he was "in shock".

"It was the first time I found someone in this situation," he said.

It was heard Mr Turco's CPR training had lapsed in the weeks before Ms Bailey died, unbeknown to him.

Mr Turco said he had since received training and has had his first aid qualifications updated.

Mental health support worker Stella Egbuchelem told the inquest no-one attempted to give Ms Bailey CPR until the ambulance arrived.

Cawston Park, run by the Jeesal Group, a provider of complex care services within the UK, is currently rated as "requires improvement" by the Care Quality Commission.

It was rated as "good" in the inspection before Ms Bailey's death.

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