Heartbroken family hopes ‘real change’ comes from inquest into their mother’s death

DESPITE how gut-wrenching the coronial inquest into the death of 78-year-old Barbara Francis has been for her children, they say they just hope it means no other family will have to go through what they did.

The children of Barbara Iris Francis outside court: Melissa Clifton, Andrew Francis, Rebecca Kilpatrick and Natalie Fielder. Picture: Jason Walls

• Nurse felt so ‘unsafe’ at aged care home before woman’s death she feared for her career, inquest hears
• Elderly woman in care home lay on the floor with broken hip for more than an hour, inquest hears

DESPITE how gut-wrenching the coronial inquest into the death of 78-year-old Barbara Francis has been for her children, they say they just hope it means no other family will have to go through what they did.

The three-day coronial inquest into Mrs Francis’s death, which occurred after she fell and broke her hip in the dementia ward of a Darwin aged care home in 2018, wrapped up at the Darwin Local Court yesterday.

The inquest yesterday heard from the Southern Cross Pearl aged care residential site manager Janet Marlborough, who said a number of changes had been made in response to the incident.

However, during cross-examination by Counsel assisting the coroner, Jodi Truman, it was revealed that inexperienced and outsourced staff were not made aware of centre protocols.

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Ms Marlborough admitted new staff were not made aware of the need to look at resident care plans and handover sheets.

“That’s a significant issue isn’t it?” Ms Marlborough was asked during questioning by Counsel assisting the coroner, Jodi Truman.

“To not have anywhere in the material that alerted staff to the things you say were required of them, expected of them,” Ms Truman said.

“I would agree that it’s an omission from the (orientation) booklet,” Ms Marlborough said.

“Has that changed?” Ms Truman asked.

“No it hasn’t,” Ms Marlborough said.

Southern Cross Pearl aged care residential site manager Janet Marlborough has given evidence at the inquest into the death of Barbara Francis. Picture: LinkedIn

The inquest earlier heard that Mrs Francis had late-stage dementia and usually wore hip pads as she was known to fall frequently.

She was not wearing hip pads when an incident involving another resident of the dementia ward – who was known to have violent tendencies – caused her to fall and break her hip on September 4, 2018.

She died from complications of the injury two weeks later.

The other resident – Mr A – was being supervised by a carer who had never been to the centre before and was not made aware of Mr A’s tendencies.

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Speaking after the inquest, Mrs Francis’s son Andrew Francis said he hoped the inquest would result in better outcomes for elderly Territorians: “I think Territorians are owed, as they get older, (the right) to know they can go to a place where they’re going to be looked after and cared for,” he said.

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