A catalogue of errors in the care of a diabetic grandmother have been highlighted at an inquest into her death.

Janice Hopper died a month after being admitted to hospital in a critical condition from the Windmill House care home in Wymondham. 

An inquest has heard that the 74-year-old had spent two weeks at the home after moving in on New Year's Eve 2021 for a respite stay while recovering from a hip operation. 

Eastern Daily Press: Janice Hopper, who died aged 74 in February

During this time, serious questions have been asked about the care she received and whether she was being encouraged to eat and drink enough during her stay. 

When Mrs Hopper was readmitted to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on January 14 she was suffering from an acute kidney injury linked to dehydration and in a hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state.

Over the course of a two-day inquest, a number of errors in her treatment were highlighted.

These included:

  • A food and fluid chart setting out her diabetic needs not being completed
  • A lack of instruction for staff on what foods not to give her
  • Details of other patients being "cut and pasted" into her care plan - which was dated incorrectly as months after her death 
  • Morphine being used 17 times, despite being marked to only use "as and when needed"
  • "Contradictions" in different documents being used to guide staff in her care
  • Actions in her care plan, including the need for weekly weighing, not being carried out

At a previous hearing, concerns were raised over inaccuracies in her care plan, which had referred to her as a man and included details of another patient. 

Eastern Daily Press: Windmill House in Wymondham, where Janice Hopper spent two weeks

During the inquest's second and final day, Maria Stone, a care team leader at the home who prepared the plan was questioned about this. 

And it emerged that a section of the plan specifying which food and fluids Mrs Hopper, who lived in the Cringleford area, should be offered had not been completed - despite her being type two diabetic. 

Asked by senior coroner Jaqueline Lake why she had been referred to as a man, Mrs Stone said it was "a typing error". 

She also admitted that when preparing care plans, workers would occasionally "cut and paste" information from other plans. 

Questions were also asked about how staff had kept track of what food and drink Mrs Hopper consumed during her stay. 

The court heard that 60pc of the fluid intake Mrs Hopper is said to have consumed was recorded by one member of staff - Courtney Patrick - a part-time worker who only saw the grandmother on five out of her 14 days at the home. 

Chris Hopper, Mrs Hopper's husband, asked: "Would you agree it seems strange that on the days you worked you were able to give my wife everything you offered her while colleagues on other days struggled? How is that possible?" 

Miss Patrick replied: "I do not know." 

Concluding that Mrs Hopper's death was by natural causes, Mrs Lake highlighted concerns with the way the home was being run - but that she did not consider she had suffered neglect.

She said: "The care plan was not accurate in a number of ways - including referring to her as a 'sociable man'.

"I am satisfied that some action has been taken following Mrs Hopper's death but it is clear some has only just been taken and some is still waiting to be taken.

"I do have concerns that there may be future deaths based on the evidence I have heard."

Kerry Tidd, regional director of Runwood Homes, which runs Windmill House, said: "There are a lot of things we are doing as a result of what happened and we do not want anybody else to have to go through it."

She said that additional training had been brought in for staff around care planning and that the home was "much more clear and transparent" in how it is run.

She added: "The culture in the home is changing in a positive way."

Mrs Hopper died in the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on February 12.