A woman who died after slipping from her wheelchair and being strangled by its lap belt had been left unsupervised due to a staff shortage at an Adelaide care facility, a court has heard.
Christine Wyld, who had Huntington’s disease, died on April 28, 2022, at a Department of Human Services-supported residential facility at Felixstow.
The facility’s disability services officer Utpal Adhikari was working on the day of her death.
He told the Coroners Court she was immobile, could not speak and had “violent” involuntary movements.
Mr Adhikari described the 61-year-old as “difficult to handle”, but recalled her love of TV and said the workers saddened by her death.
“She was in pain … she used to cry out and shout all the time,” he said.
“When you work so long with people, we grow close to them and you never want to lose somebody.”
Utpal Adhikari told the court improvements had been made since Christine Wyld’s death. (ABC News: Briana Fiore)
Counsel assisting Rebecca Schell said the inquest would examine whether Ms Wyld was left unsupervised and for how long.
She also said Ms Wyld’s wheelchair may not have been in an optimal condition and had ongoing repair needs that required numerous visits from technicians.
Ms Schell said the foot plates of the wheelchair were not on on the day of Ms Wyld’s death,
She said the inquest would investigate whether Ms Wyld’s death was preventable.
Staff shortages
Deputy State Coroner Emma Roper asked Mr Adhikari whether he understood that there must have been a period of time when nobody had eyes on Ms Wyld, and asked why she was left on her own.
He replied that the team was “short of staff on that day” and said other clients needed to be showered, medicated and fed during the time she was left unsupervised.
“Could it also be that nobody was allocated to Christine that day?” Magistrate Roper asked.
Emma Roper is presiding over the inquest. (ABC News)
Mr Adhikari said he was working with another client that day and was on his lunch break when Ms Wyld died.
He said there were five staff members on shift but one had been sent to another site.
The inquest heard that two other support workers assumed the other was with Ms Wyld near the time of her death.
They had heard a sound from her and assumed it was normal vocalisation.
But when one of them checked they discovered Ms Wyld “white” and unresponsive, with the lap belt of the chair across her neck.
Emergency services were called but Ms Wyld’s care management plan stipulated that she was not to be resuscitated.
Changes since death
Mr Adhikari said a lanyard system had been introduced since Ms Wyld’s death so that carers knew who was supposed to be looking after each client at all times.
He said staff needed to log when they were on a break or went to the bathroom.
Mr Adhikari also said there had been additional training and instructions about the definition of one-on-one care.
Ms Roper said that there had been a suggestion that the supervisor on that shift had been responsible for allocating carers to clients and that they should be given an opportunity to respond in case there were adverse findings.
A spokesperson for the Department of Human Services said it had made a number of changes to its safety systems, governance and staff training since 2022, and would carefully consider any findings or recommendations the coroner made.
“DHS will not be commenting further while the inquest is active,” the spokesperson said.
The inquest will continue on July 24.
