East Sussex care provider fined over £26,000 for failing to ensure resident safety
The CQC prosecution follows the serious injury of resident from first-floor fall.
Last updated 16th Feb 2026
A care home provider in East Sussex has been fined £26,764.47 after being prosecuted by the Care Quality Commission for failing to provide safe care and treatment to a resident.
Crest House Care Limited pleaded guilty at Brighton Magistrates’ Court to charges related to failing to ensure proper safety measures, thereby causing avoidable harm to a resident, identified as M.E.D.
The court fined the care provider £10,000 and ordered them to pay a £2,000 victim surcharge, along with costs amounting to £14,764.47.
Charges stem from an incident on 18th July 2022, when M.E.D fell from the first-floor window of their room at Crest House Care Home.
The windows were found to be lacking restrictors, which resulted in M.E.D sustaining multiple injuries including spinal, femur, and foot fractures, and a scalp haemorrhage.
Several surgeries have been performed on M.E.D, who continues to experience mobility challenges following the fall.
The CQC prosecuted Crest House Care Limited for not ensuring windows were restricted to openings of no more than 10cm, which is a legal mandate.
Without these precautions, the care home was accused of neglecting to mitigate the risks of such falls.
Amy Jupp, deputy director of CQC operations in East Sussex, remarked on the case:
"When people are living in care homes, they have the right to expect that homes will properly assess and manage risks to keep them safe. Tragically, this did not happen for M.E.D at Crest House Care Home, resulting in life changing injuries including multiple fractures and a scalp haemorrhage."
She continued, stressing the importance of risk assessments and corrective measures:
"The failure of Crest House to identify and address clear dangers was unacceptable, resulting in serious harm coming to a highly vulnerable person and potentially putting other residents at that same risk."
Jupp noted that the prosecution serves as a reminder to all adult social care providers to uphold standards and prevent similar occurrences.