A WOMAN 
aged 99 has been told that carers cannot help her climb the stairs in case she injures them in a fall. Edna East, a 4ft 9in great-grandmother who weighs seven stone, has had to spends hundreds of pounds on a stairlift after being told she was a threat to carers’ safety. Her daughter, Suzanne Singer, said: “How ludicrous can you get?” The carers’ job was surely to ensure Mrs East’s safety, she said. “To say they can’t help her because of a possible injury risk is barmy. How risky is it to help an elderly woman up the stairs? She’s never fallen before. It’s stupid, mindless bureaucracy.” After a care provision risk-assessment, Mrs Singer received a letter from Enara Community Care, which is contracted by Oxfordshire County Council and visits clients in the morning and evening. Sandra Stapley, the council’s operations manager for adult social care, said: “This is not a case of health and safety gone mad. This is a case of a care provider deciding, after carrying out at least two risk assessments, that supporting a frail, unsteady elderly lady up and down the stairs was unsafe for both herself and their staff.” The Times 14/10/06.
aged 99 has been told that carers cannot help her climb the stairs in case she injures them in a fall. Edna East, a 4ft 9in great-grandmother who weighs seven stone, has had to spends hundreds of pounds on a stairlift after being told she was a threat to carers’ safety. Her daughter, Suzanne Singer, said: “How ludicrous can you get?” The carers’ job was surely to ensure Mrs East’s safety, she said. “To say they can’t help her because of a possible injury risk is barmy. How risky is it to help an elderly woman up the stairs? She’s never fallen before. It’s stupid, mindless bureaucracy.” After a care provision risk-assessment, Mrs Singer received a letter from Enara Community Care, which is contracted by Oxfordshire County Council and visits clients in the morning and evening. Sandra Stapley, the council’s operations manager for adult social care, said: “This is not a case of health and safety gone mad. This is a case of a care provider deciding, after carrying out at least two risk assessments, that supporting a frail, unsteady elderly lady up and down the stairs was unsafe for both herself and their staff.” The Times 14/10/06.
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