Inadequate training may have led to the death of a centenarian living in a care home.
In August 2010 100-year-old May Ward died after falling from a hoist at Meppershall Care Home.
The home, which was closed down by the Care Quality Commission in July this year, has been accused of neglecting health and safety.
Representatives of the home and Mr Mohammed Haniffa Zarook, who was the director at G A Projects Limited, which runs the home, appeared in Bedford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
Mr Zarook, 71, of Sauncey Wood in Harpenden, is charged with holding the post while the care home failed to ensure that residents, including Mrs Ward, were not exposed to the risk of falling or being dropped during or after being transferred using a hoist.
G A Projects, of Stevenage, is charged with the same plus failing to ensure the health and safety of staff while they used hoists. Mr Zarook and representatives of G A Projects declined to enter a plea.
The prosecution said: “May Ward fell from a sling hoist. She was a vulnerable lady who suffered from dementia and who was prone to outbursts of aggression.
“She needed particular care with her movement.”
Mrs Ward was being moved by a Bulgarian carer and one of Chinese descent – and language may have been a barrier, he said.
He continued: “Nobody assessed Mrs Ward’s needs and generally there was no policy related to movement.
“There was inadequate supervision and monitoring of handling and moving by members of staff. The carers had not been adequately trained to do the job properly.”
There will be a preliminary hearing at Luton Crown Court on Friday, January 3.