Former care staff who made serious allegations of neglect, potentially fatal doping and mistreatment of old people at Isard House, a Bupa run care home in Bromley, Kent, have at last learned what action police took in response to a dossier of evidence they submitted three years ago, it was all but ignored.

No statement was taken from any witness, no member of staff at the home was interviewed and Bupa itself was never even approached over the allegations. In fact Police notes suggest that just a few hours after three bundles of documents-mainly complex medical records were submitted,, officers had already decided that “ no crime had been confirmed”.

This is alarming since, on face value, the medical sheets seemed to show that a number of elderly residents were given potentially fatal doses of powerful drugs, one resident E.P, had on four occasions been given a dose of tranquilliser that was NINE time the daily prescribed 30mls dose and SIX times higher then what is considered safe for an elderly person.

Eye readers may also recall the case of Audrey Ford, another Isard House resident who was taken to hospital suffering from the side-effects of a powerful anti-psychotic which should only have been given to those suffering severe mental illness, like schizophrenia, she never recovered and the coroner recorded an open verdict.

The care staff have been trying for some time now to discover what progress police had made in their investigations, and under the Freedom of Information Act, they found out last month, a police summery said it had been decided to make only limited inquiries into the allegations, “ to prevent unnecessary use of police time for an inquiry that was unlikely to be brought before a court”.

Officers obtained a brief report from the coroners office listing “ those deaths of occupants from Isard House with cause” however it said none were the subject of an inquest and the examining doctor had issued death certificates in all cases, “ therefore it must be assumed that no suspicious circumstances were identified” these were exactly the sort of assumptions The Shipman inquiry condemned so vigorously.

The police report said “ as indicated only limited inquiries have been made, no persons accused have been interviewed, nor have Bupa formally been approached by police to assist in the inquiry, subject to crown prosecution service advice no further action will be taken”.

Eileen Chubb one of the former careworkers said “ the need for a public inquiry is now overwhelming, how can the Crown Prosecution service decide whether there is a case, if the police don’t bother to investigate and gather evidence in the first place?

Private Eye - 4th March 2005