Care Staff Believed Collapsed Resident Was ‘Pretending’, Inquest Hears

An inquest revealed that care staff withheld first aid from a 29-year-old resident of a care home, believing she was “attention seeking.” Holly Goodchild, a resident with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs, collapsed and subsequently died at Cygnet House, a residential facility located near Great Yarmouth. Testimony at Norfolk Coroners’ Court indicated that carers had “tried to encourage her off the floor” and were under the impression she was “pretending.” Daniel Soanes, a night support worker, informed the court that had he been aware Ms Goodchild was experiencing a seizure, he would have “absolutely” contacted 999 earlier. The medical cause of Ms Goodchild’s death was identified as positional asphyxia, epilepsy, morbid obesity, and left ventricular hypertrophy. In a statement provided to police soon after Ms Goodchild’s passing, Mr. Soanes stated he had never witnessed her “throw herself on the floor before,” but acknowledged she was known to “act irrationally if she didn’t get her own way.” On March 29, 2023, when Ms Goodchild collapsed at the Belton home, Mr. Soanes was employed at the adjacent Swanrise care home, which is also operated by the private firm Crystal Care. He testified that senior carer Steve Soucient summoned him to Cygnet House, and upon his arrival, Mr. Soucient was already communicating with the ambulance service. Mr. Soanes recounted attempting to persuade Ms Goodchild to get up from the floor by offering her a “cup of tea and a cigarette.” He asserted that she was emitting a “grunting noise” and appeared to be breathing, leading him to clean the kitchen in an adjacent room. When Carl Rix, counsel representing Ms Goodchild’s family, inquired if this action was appropriate, Mr. Soanes responded: “It was a task that needed doing.” “Do you agree that you should have considered Holly had had a seizure?” Mr. Rix questioned. “Of course, yes,” he answered. A statement from paramedics, presented in court, indicated that care home staff “were unable to identify Holly had gone into cardiac arrest.” The court heard that on the evening of Ms Goodchild’s death, she had not consumed her prescribed medication for epilepsy management. The inquest heard that she had descended the stairs appearing sad and was standing by an exterior door, consuming a cup of tea and a cigarette, when she collapsed. Anna Sampaio, a carer who heard Ms Goodchild cry out, stated her belief that the resident had suffered a heart attack. “I shook her to get a response but she did not respond,” she recounted. “She was quite big so I couldn’t move her more than I did.” Senior coroner Jacqueline Lake questioned whether she observed Ms Goodchild breathing. “No, I didn’t see any sign that she was breathing,” Ms Sampaio responded. “Did you consider calling the emergency services?” Ms. Lake proceeded to ask. “Only when Steve arrived at the house. I said ‘please call the ambulance, she’s not well’… Now, I would have called the ambulance if I could.” Ms. Sampaio stated that company protocol mandated informing senior carers prior to contacting 999 during emergencies. Conversely, Mr. Soanes claimed he had no knowledge of this policy. Ms. Sampaio alleged that Ms Goodchild had ceased breathing for 30 minutes before the arrival of the ambulance service. The inquest, which had been adjourned in June, recommenced earlier on Tuesday. The proceedings are scheduled to conclude later this week, with representatives from Crystal Care also anticipated to provide testimony.