Three people were found dead at a care home in Dorset, and seven others were taken to hospital with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.
Dozens of other vulnerable residents were evacuated from Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage to a nearby church, some in wheelchairs or on stretchers, while other care homes evacuated them. Found a place for.
Supt Heather Dixie, of Dorset Police, said carbon monoxide poisoning was the “primary focus” of the investigation and there was not thought to be any further risk to the public.
Police were called at 7.16am on Wednesday after three people were found dead at the 48-bed care home on Ulwell Road. Police said the families of the deceased have been informed and the coroner has been informed.
“As a precautionary measure, seven people were taken to hospital and other residents were evacuated,” Dixie said. The death is being treated as unexplained and we continue to work with our partner agencies to establish the full circumstances of what happened. ”
Dorset City Council said many of the residents were “vulnerable people with significant care needs”. The Rev. Joe Levassier, the team pastor at All Saints Church, where the evacuated residents were housed, said many were suffering greatly.
She said: “At 7.45am we got a call from the care home asking if we could help open up the building. “About 30 minutes later people started arriving, some on stretchers; Some people came in wheelchairs. There were also some beds. Many people were confused.
“The local community also got involved and did a great job. People brought blankets, food, tea and coffee and some people from local schools came down and spoke to people. “By tonight. We want to get everyone out of here. I don't think they know what happened, but we know they can't go home.”
“The decision was to take everyone out of the building and into the church,” said Salama Goonaim, 34, who works in her kitchen. “All the residents are very old, some of them are almost 100 years old.”
Charlotte Harris, 34, who previously worked as an activities co-ordinator at a care home and watched the evacuation, said: “Some of the residents were bedridden, so there was a lot of confusion between care staff and ambulance staff. They were dragging them into the hospital.” ambulance. When you're training, you never expect it to actually happen. I just wanted to help. If you have a resident with dementia, they will require a great deal of care. ”
A church housing evacuated care home residents is receiving donations from businesses in Swanage throughout the day. Italian Bakery on Institute Road donated boxes of pastries and Harley's restaurant donated bags of fish and chips.
The home is run by Ajin Careis a family-owned business founded in Weymouth in 1986 and currently employs 4,000 people in over 90 locations across England.
A spokesperson for the facility said: “The health of our residents has always been our top priority and as part of our local business continuity plan, we had established that we would transport residents in a controlled manner. We will continue to work with key local authority services to get residents back into their homes at the earliest opportunity.”
Local gas company SGN confirmed there was no mains gas leak at the facility, supporting the theory that carbon monoxide poisoning was the cause.
Care Quality Commission rated the house as “good” The 2021 report said “risks within the home environment were well managed”. The paper quoted a relative as saying: my [family member] He was a firefighter so we were brought up with health and safety in mind and never found anything dangerous. “They are very safety conscious,” said another.
above its website This home offers a 'safe and homely environment within a real village community and is located within easy reach of the GP practice, village shop, bakery and cafe, and the beautiful seafront is also just around the corner. ” states.
The home's Facebook page features images of residents traveling to tank museums, safari parks, circuses and more. There is also footage of residents being entertained in their homes by a violinist and a visit from a therapy dog.
The daughter of one of the residents who was safely evacuated described the response from staff as “amazing” and said she would be shocked by what had happened.
Carbon monoxide causes around 60 deaths and 200 hospitalizations in the UK each year. According to West Yorkshire Fire Service.
