Hunstanton man Nigel Munton died after serious pressure ulcer turned into bone infection while at Downham Market care home

A care home resident died after his serious ulcer turned into a bone infection following a three-day wait for the proper equipment.

Nigel Munton, from Hunstanton, died aged 72 at Downham Grange Care Home on September 29, 2024.

An inquest held today at Norwich Coroner’s Court ruled his death was due to natural causes after complications in the management of a pressure sore, which had impacted all layers of his skin.

Mr Munton was admitted to the home for respite care on August 13 last year following a request from his wife, as he suffered from type two diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, among other things.

A care plan was put in place, which described him as “independent” in terms of personal hygiene. However, soon after his placement, this was no longer the case.

On the evening of August 24, an ulcer was discovered on his body, and he was given some wound care - but pressure relief equipment, a typical course of treatment for the condition, was unavailable at the time.

Calls were put in to have a district nurse come and assess Mr Munton for further treatment - but due to it being a bank holiday weekend, a visit did not take place until August 26, at which point they could not determine how serious the sore was.

The nurse described Mr Munton’s wound dressings and bed as “unsuitable”, saying he had been lying on a foam mattress when he needed a pressure-relieving one, though she did not consider him to be “unsafe”.

However, the next day, he took a turn for the worse and was rushed to Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Doctors found Mr Munton had developed a bone infection called Osteomyelitis, and was also delirious.

Antibiotics were administered, but ultimately the decision was made to place him in palliative care, and he died on September 29 while in hospital.

A summary of a statement from Downham Grange manager Adeshola Adejuyigbe read at today’s inquest said she believed that as Mr Munton was at the home for respite care, it may have impacted the availability of pressure-relieving equipment.

She also thinks the fact that the sore appeared over a bank holiday is “clearly relevant”, as the care home was unable to take action as quickly as it would have liked.

There are plans for Ms Adejuyigbe to write to the Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust to request that the correct equipment be provided without the need for a nurse to be present.

Area coroner Joanna Thompson said: “It would be speculative to determine whether or not Nigel’s outcome would have been changed if there had been pressure-relieving equipment in place sooner, and earlier intervention by the district nursing team.”