5:30pm Friday 30th July 2010
By Naomi Loomes
A disabled man was scalded to death in a bath during a holiday with his carer.
An inquest heard how Down’s syndrome sufferer Douglas Wickenden, from Leatherhead, was taken for a weekend break to a bungalow in Bognor by his two carers, Lucky Okologume, from Carshalton, and Kamila Nait-Mouloud, from Sutton.
But the holiday ended in tragedy when the 63-year-old was scalded in the bath and died from his injuries.
Mr Wickenden was a long term resident at Leatherhead-based care home SeeAbility which organises regular breaks away.
On August 15 last year he and another patient were taken to the Invicta Warren bungalow in Bognor by both his carers.
The following day, Mr Okologume, 43, took Mr Wickenden for a bath “as a treat”.
In a statement to the court he said: “Normally he has showers but this time I thought he could have a bath as a treat because it would be more relaxing.”
Mr Okologume ran the bath and checked the temperature was correct.
Moments later he left Mr Wickenden, who cannot communicate verbally, alone, so he could get a shower chair.
When he returned he noticed the skin was peeling off Mr Wickenden’s legs.
He called the emergency services and Mr Wickenden was taken to St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester before being moved to a specialist burns unit at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead.
An examination showed he was suffering 13 per cent burns from the waist downwards.
Despite treatment Mr Wickenden lost consciousness and died from bronchopneumonia on August 21.
Mr Okologume and Miss Nait-Mouloud were arrested by Sussex Police on suspicion of wilful neglect but later released without charge.
Detective Inspector Julie Overton, who led the investigation, said: “It was clear Lucky was very fond of Douglas throughout the interviews. He was genuinely upset about the incident. I would say it was a momentary lapse of judgment in an otherwise exemplary carer.”
Mr Wickenden’s Care Plan states that he must not be left alone when using the bathroom or toilet.
The investigation concluded that while Mr Okologume was out of the room Mr Wickenden may have turned on the hot tap himself.
Chief executive of SeeAbility David Scott-Ralphs said new guidance for taking residents away on holiday had been introduced since Mr Wickenden’s death.
He said: “This is an unprecedented situation for the charity, which takes Health and Safety extremely seriously.”
He described Lucky as an experienced carer who had worked with Mr Wickenden on a one-on-one basis for the past three years.
He said: “While the tragic outcome of this incident cannot be undone we have taken measures to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Coroner for West Sussex Penelope Schofield recorded a verdict of accidental death and praised the charity for their help with the police investigation.
A spokesman from SeeAbility said: “One of the care workers no longer works for SeeAbility and one has been re-deployed to work at another SeeAbility service.”
Mr Scott-Ralphs released a statement which read: " We are devastated that this tragic accident took place and our thoughts go out to Douglas' friends and family. He was well loved by all of us who knew him.
"The wellbeing of everyone that we support will always be our number one priority and we will do everything in our power to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."
Did you know Mr Wickenden? Leave your tributes on the comments box below.
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