A RETIRED nurse died after a fellow care home resident with dementia pushed her over, an inquest heard.

Vera Sanger fell and broke her hip, later contracting pneumonia at Salisbury District Hospital. She died June 16, 2015.

Mrs Sanger, diagnosed with dementia in 2011, moved to Willowcroft care home in Odstock Road, Salisbury, in spring 2014.

She was watching TV in the communal lounge when carer Louise Skinner heard screams.

Ms Skinner rushed to find Mrs Sanger on the floor under her walking frame, the inquest heard.

Mrs Sanger and another resident both said Erika Crabbe had pushed her. Ms Crabbe apologised, saying: “I didn’t mean to push her so hard”.

Ms Crabbe slapped Mrs Sanger in December 2014, and had been involved in eight other violent incidents in the past year.

Home manager Michelle Curtice said staff had given Ms Crabbe one-to-one sessions and put her on increased observations, but had “no concerns” that she needed to be moved.

But two months later Ms Crabbe was transferred to a more specialised home.

Mrs Sanger’s sons Christopher and Andrew criticised the management at the Orders of St John home for what they said was a failure to safeguard their mother, and a lack of communication with the family.

Andrew said the women should have been separated.

He said: “The incidents are increasing, what you have put in place is not working.”

And Christopher asked: “Why was Mum’s health and safety compromised when you already knew Erika had slapped and pushed other residents?”

But Ms Curtice said Mrs Sanger had not been directly targeted and it would have been inappropriate to suggest moving her.

She added that residents’ health and safety was a priority at all times.

Christopher said he had been very impressed with the carers at Willowcroft, but not the management.

“I couldn’t get the truth out of them. They admitted lies were being told. I didn’t have any trust.”

A lawyer for The Orders of St John recommended a conclusion of accidental death, but coroner Ian Singleton said he was satisfied Mrs Sanger had been pushed, although the “circumstances and intention were unknown”.

Recording a narrative conclusion, Dr Singleton took into account Ms Crabbe’s “history of aggressive behaviour towards others”, which had intensified.

He said: “Erika was as much a victim of what was going on in her life as anyone else.”

Police said there were no grounds for a criminal investigation as all three women “lacked capacity”.

  • “DEVOUT wife and mum” Vera Sanger was born in Calne in 1932.

She attended school in Salisbury, before becoming a nursery nurse and later an auxilliary nurse at Salisbury Infirmary. Vera met future husband Wilfred at 17 and they married at Wilton church in 1956.

She gave birth to Christopher in 1960 and Andrew in 1963.

Christopher said: “Mum would always do her best for us. All she wanted was for us to enjoy our childhood.”

They moved to Harnham in 1971. Vera worked at a supermarket and a bed and breakfast in Downton Road, before returning to her great love, nursing, which she continued until she retired.

Vera was “over the moon” when her first granddaughter Charlene was born, and again six years later when grandson Brendon arrived.

“She loved her grandchildren to bits,” said Chris.

“She was a brilliant mum and grandmother. She was kind to everybody.”

  • A SPOKESMAN for the Orders of St John Care Trust, which runs Willowcroft care home, said: “Everyone at The Orders of St John Care Trust wishes again to express our deepest sympathy to Mrs Sanger’s family.

“The trust has co-operated fully with all parties during the investigations and provided all required assistance to the Coroner.

“The trust is a safe, high quality provider rated by the Care Quality Commission as one of the highest quality ratings of any major care home provider in the UK.

“Willowcroft has fully met all CQC’s requirements, with the quality of staff training and their responsiveness to the needs of their residents being highlighted in their last inspection report.”