A court heard that a 90-year-old Alzheimer’s patient perished after drinking cleaning fluid from an unlabeled bottle in his chamber at a care facility in Angus.
In May 2020, after the first pandemic quarantine, David Fyfe was discovered gravely ill in his chamber at Tigh-na-Muirn Ltd in Monifieth. He was transferred to Ninewells Hospital for observation, but perished of ammonia toxicity four days later.
The operator of the home, Tigh-Na-Muirn Ltd, has confessed responsibility for Mr. Fyfe’s demise and will be sentenced at a later date by the Dundee Sheriff Court.
Jane Hilditch, principal fiscal assistant, stated that it was unknown why the container was not labelled, and that staff observed a cup with the residual of a green liquid — the same colour as the hand sanitizer — on the table.
The company acknowledged that the bulk and diluted cleaning product Steri-Germ should not have been stored in an accessible location. A spokesperson for the facility stated that every precaution had been taken to prevent a recurrence.
In the near future, an autopsy will be performed on Mr. Fyfe’s body. Barry Smith KC, representing Tigh-Na-Muirn Ltd, stated, “It is of the utmost regret to the company and all those involved in the home that it failed in this isolated incident.”
A 90-year-old Alzheimer’s patient perished from ammonia toxicity at the Tigh-Na-Muirn Ltd. care facility in Angus, Scotland. The court heard that after contracting Covid, David Fyfe was confined to his room and consumed cleaning fluid from an unlabeled container left in his room.
Tigh-Na-Muirn Ltd acknowledged health and safety violations in relation to Mr. Fyfe’s death and unreservedly accepted responsibility. Steri-Germ, a bulk and diluted cleaning product, was discovered in an easily accessible location in the room, which may explain why the bottle was not labelled.
The facility expressed condolences to Mr. Fyfe’s family and stated that they had learned from this tragedy and taken all necessary precautions to prevent it from occurring again. In the near future, an inquest will be conducted into Mr. Fyfe’s demise, and Tigh-Na-Muirn Ltd will be sentenced at Dundee Sheriff Court at a later date.
