A HAMPSHIRE family is suing a care home for alleged negligence after leaving a dementia patient unsupervised who then suffered a fatal fall.

An inquest heard how 87-year-old Nella Carter had attempted to follow her daughters out of Oaklands Residential Care Home in West Wellow and wandered through an open patio door where she fell on concrete.

Mrs Carter, who was known as Pat, had fallen down steps and was discovered face down and bloodied by fellow residents who called for help.

But the pensioner had suffered fatal brain damage as well as multiple fractures to her skull and spine and she died in Southampton General Hospital 15 days later, on July 30, the court heard.

Bosses at the care home have apologised to the family of Mrs Carter who had severe dementia and was was in the communal lounge that was supposed to be supervised when the fall happened.

On the day of the fatal incident, trainee senior carer Paramjit Kalirai had been put in charge but failed to shut the back door on arriving for her night shift, the inquest was told.

Coroner Grahame Short said he was unable to call Mrs Carter's death an accident following the hearing, in which he was told Ms Kalirai was training for senior status but "hadn't done any of the work" towards a legally required certificate.

Ms Kalirai was paid a senior salary and wore a senior uniform but had yet to complete her training, which care home manager Jennifer Wickland said was done on the job.

The inquest heard Ms Kalirai, who became a carer in 2002, was working towards a new certificate which has been required for all carers since April.

Ms Wickland said: "On August 3 I received an email from her tutor saying that she hadn't done any of the work that she was supposed to have done."

She added that Ms Kalirai was a "very good carer" with the necessary training in place but made a "mistake" in not shutting the door when she started the shift.

Ms Kalirai's solicitor, Andrew Roach, said she had just begun the course at the time and was allowed nine months to complete it.

Recording a narrative verdict, senior central Hampshire coroner Grahame Short said: "I'm not able to describe this as an accident."

Ms Wickland outlined a host of new measures taken at the home since the death, including reviews of staff and security and new doors to keep residents away from stairs. The patio is now off-limits, the inquest heard.

She added: "I'm extremely sorry for the hurt that they've [the family] have gone through over this incident."

Mrs Carter's family said it intended to launch legal action by the end of this week.

In a statement after the hearing: "We've lost a very special mother and grandmother – lost by, we feel, the neglect of the home."

An Oaklands Residential Care Home spokesman said: “The home is very sorry for the death of Mrs Carter and the staff and management would like to express their sympathies to her family”.