Care worker admits failing to report medication mistake that led to resident’s death in Gloucester
Jane Barnard denies causing death but admits failure to report the medication error.
A care worker has admitted failing to report giving a resident the wrong medication, which may have contributed to his death.
Jane Barnard, 66, of Longlevens, Gloucester, pleaded guilty at Gloucester Crown Court to wilfully neglecting 75-year-old Derek Davies in September 2021 by not disclosing that she had accidentally administered morphine prescribed for someone else.
Mr Davies was a resident at Wheatridge Court in Abbeydale, Gloucester, where Barnard had worked for 32 years.
The court heard that on the morning of 6th September 2021, Barnard mistakenly gave Mr Davies 90mg of slow-release morphine, intended for another patient. Prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC said Barnard realised her error shortly after but chose not to report it. Instead, she concealed her mistake, claiming to have accidentally dropped the correct medication down the sink.
Mr Davies became unwell later that day, struggling to breathe and losing consciousness. Ambulance staff were called to assist, but Barnard did not disclose the medication error, telling medical staff it was not possible for Mr Davies to have accessed morphine.
Barnard only admitted her mistake on 8th September, calling the care home’s deputy manager, Kim Jones, and saying, “I can't believe what I've done, I just panicked,” according to the prosecution. By this point, Mr Davies had passed away in hospital.
Initial reports listed his cause of death as a brainstem stroke; however, it was later determined that morphine toxicity from the dose wrongly administered by Barnard had been the likely cause.
Ms Healy argued that Barnard’s failure to act amounted to a significant breach of her duty of care. “Had she not administered him that morphine or had she reported promptly, when she realised what she had done, Mr Davies would not have died,” Ms Healy said.
Barnard denies the charge of manslaughter and her trial is ongoing.