THE owners of a care home have been fined £90,000 for their part in the "entirely avoidable" death of a 95-year-old woman.

Private healthcare company BUPA owns the Abbottsleigh Mews Home in Old Farm Road East, Sidcup, where Charlotte Wood fell while being lowered into a bath by hoist.

At Southwark Crown Court, BUPA admitted a catalogue of failings at the home, which led to Mrs Wood's death four days after the fall on November 28, 2003.

The court heard how care worker Elaine Hutton, who had only received three hours training in manual handling, should have been working with at least one other care worker to bathe Mrs Wood.

She did not refer to Mrs Wood's care records as they were locked in an office.

She had also never used the hoist before and she used the wrong one, which meant Mrs Wood had to partially support herself, despite being confused and disorientated.

As a result, Mrs Wood removed her hand from the rail and fell, fracturing her shoulder.

Prosecuting, Natasha Tahta said no senior staff had been on duty at the home and the care workers present had just three months' experience with BUPA. Mrs Hutton did not report the accident until Mrs Wood complained of pains in her shoulder several hours later and was subsequently sacked.

Mrs Wood was taken to hospital where she developed pneumonia and died four days later but her fractured shoulder was given as a secondary cause of death.

Judge Peter Testar said not referring to Mrs Wood's care plan was part of a "worrying culture" among staff and a serious breach which could have been avoided.

But he added the failings at the home were local and not endemic or systematic.

BUPA admitted one charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act and was also ordered to pay £19,247 costs.

After the hearing BUPA's regional director Oliver Thomas said: "We accept in this case we unfortunately failed to meet our own high standards and we would like to apologise to the family."

He said more training had been put in place to prevent a similar incident.

Geoff Wood, the pensioner's son, said the family hoped the lessons of his mother's death had been learned by BUPA.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Hazel McCallum, who brought the prosecution, said: "The tragedy of Mrs Wood's death is it was entirely avoidable."