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Statement issued on behalf of the Council regarding publication of the independent review into the events leading up to the death of Olenka Thomas.


In July 2003, the Isle of Wight Council's portfolio holder for Social Services and Housing, Councillor Gordon Kendall, requested that the Directorate's Strategic Director, Glen Garrod, commission an Independent Review into the events leading up to the death of Miss Olenka Thomas aged 92. The review, which has now been concluded, was commissioned as a result of concern which had been expressed by close friends and advisors to Miss Thomas that the notification of withdrawal of Miss Thomas's home care package immediately prior to her death had been badly handled and caused her distress.

The council would like once again to express its condolences to the friends and family of Miss Thomas at her death. The council fully accepts the recommendations the Report makes and will be taking the necessary actions to progress them, working with the management team involved. The Isle of Wight Council accepts that individually and corporately there are several areas which could have been handled better and recognises that some distress was caused through its difficulties in securing a service.

The Report acknowledges that several significant improvements have already been made to address methods of working and rates of pay, a widely acknowledged problem in the home care market on the Island. Finally, the Report underpins the importance of domiciliary support to vulnerable people and the particular importance of being able to provide that in a consistent and reliable fashion. This is summarised by the independent investigator in four key actions. While the Social Services and Housing Directorate cannot absolutely guarantee it, it will take every step to ensure that a similar situation does not arise again.

Commenting on the findings, Councillor Gordon Kendall said: "I have spoken directly with some of Miss Thomas's friends and from this have formed a view of Miss Thomas which makes me genuinely saddened by her death and the circumstances which preceded it. The report clearly demonstrates that errors of judgement were made and reveals flaws in the council's arrangements. Attention focused on solving the service delivery problem rather than the client's needs. Too many people were involved, increasing delays and the risks of communications breakdowns. There was some lack of clarity over responsibilities and procedures between Wightcare and the Directorate.

"The Directorate accepts the report's finding and has produced an action plan and introduced measures to try and ensure these sort of sad and distressing circumstances do not re-occur."