Staff have been retrained and weekly safeguarding meetings introduced after a vulnerable woman died while being cared for by Reading Borough Council (RBC) care home provider Radis Group.

Eileen Whitehead died after care workers failed to follow emergency procedures to ensure she received the correct medical attention following a fall in July 2017.

A Local Government Ombudsman investigation into her care found that procedures were not followed and her GP was not alerted in a timely manner.

The elderly woman, who suffered with lung disease, was admitted to hospital and died the following day.

Councillor Tony Jones, lead member for Adult Social Care, said: “The council does not come out of dealing with these matters well.

“I unreservedly accept the ombudsman conclusions and offer apologies to the family members concerned.

“I hope and trust that an appropriate settlement will be reached with the family without any further delay.”

Seona Douglas, director of Social Care and Health, presented a report on the action taken since the ombudsman report.

She said the council has enacted a staff improvement programme and weekly safeguarding meetings to ensure work is not in the system for too long and people are receiving the support they need.

Michael King, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, also found fault with Radis’ actions, such as incomplete care logs.

Radis has taken action to improve its service following the ombudsman report, ‘embarking on a full retraining programme for all staff within the service, covering emergency procedures’.

Paula Hogarth, Radis’ Operations Manager, said: “We have fully embraced the recommended actions and comments within the ombudsman report to ensure we are making continuous improvement to the service.”

Ms Douglas added: “We both want to ensure this situation doesn’t happen again and we do take very seriously upholding high standards of practice, given that we are caring for the most vulnerable people in our community.”

She has sent a letter of apology to Ms Whitehead’s son, who complained to the ombudsman when he said he was unhappy with the council’s investigation into his complaint.

RBC have agreed to provide two plots for the son and his sister in the cemetery near to his mother, after promising to offer a tribute of the family’s choice.

The authority has also paid the son £100 to acknowledge the time and trouble he has been through.

Lib Dem councillor Meri O’Connell added: “It is heartening to see the leadership in the council being so willing to accept failings, conclusions and suggestions.

“Whilst this is about as distressing as things can get, if good can come out of it that is excellent and what we should be striving for.”