by An elderly mother and her daughter were found dead in their east London flat five months after police raised urgent concerns about the family, a review has found.
The bodies were discovered in a state of decomposition when officers forced their way into their home in Redbridge in June last year.
An investigation has now outlined how care services failed the 83-year-old mother and her 56-year-old daughter, which may have led to “the death of one or both women “.
The case appears to be similar to that of Zarin Adatia, 84, and her daughter Tasneem, 48, who were killed by gas engineers carrying out routine checks at their Barnet council flat just six months earlier in late November 2022 .
In a report commissioned by Redbridge town hall, which gives the mother the pseudonym Jasmine and the daughter Rowena to protect the identity of the surviving family members, neighbors said they had not seen the women “for some time, and noticed flies at the windows. and a smell coming from the apartment” called the police.
He says: “The police found the bodies of the two women in a state of decomposition.
“Jasmine was in her bedroom and Rowena in the hallway, with no signs of violence or forced entry before. There was evidence of a level playing field in terms of neglect and funding.”
Months earlier, on January 6, 2023, the Met was called to a neighbor dispute at the women’s home and recorded “strange behaviour” and had to “ask to see Jasmine who was tied to the bed”.
Officers considered that Rowena was clearly unable to care for her mother and a neighbor said she had reported “constant strange encounters and strange outbursts” from her daughter who had “severely deteriorated her mental health”.
The force raised safeguarding concerns with the local authority that same month, but when social services and GPs were unable to contact the women they did not follow up.
“It is worrying that the safeguarding procedures appear to have been left in limbo, with no management overview or monitoring,” the report says.
It says: “The multi-agency safeguarding procedures were initiated in January 2023 in relation to Jasmine but lapsed without being formally closed, leaving Jasmine unprotected and, potentially, the death of one or both women of them.
Redbridge council confirmed on Thursday that it had updated its “dealing with emergencies” policy and accepted all 13 of the report’s recommendations. Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) said it was “reviewing our policies and procedures” following the case.
The council’s investigation found that signs that Rowena was abusive towards her mother were ignored by medical authorities during numerous interactions the women had with them between 2020 and 2022.
As a result of her “threatening and controlling” behaviour, the two became estranged from her brother and other family members.
Police attended the home in October 2020 and Rowena told officers she had unplugged her landline because she believed her neighbor had “wired everyone’s landline” and she was “protected by politicians”.
The Met shared their concerns with the social worker in the Redbridge mental health service team but there is no record of their report being assessed or any action taken.
GPs, Redbridge social services and BHRUT did not pursue concerns about Jasmine’s possible neglect of Rowena, despite numerous hospital visits and paramedics being called to the home on at least two occasions.
In December 2015 Rowena was referred to services for her diabetes, but did not attend appointments. The report says it is “concerning that, following her appointment with the Diabetes Service and her likely need for support, the referral was not followed up” by the NHS trust or Rowena’s GP.
A post-mortem examination found that Jasmine died of pneumonia and a chest abscess, while Rowena died of heart disease.
A spokesman for Redbridge Council said: “Upon notification of these tragic deaths, an urgent multi-agency review of the circumstances began immediately, and a number of actions were swiftly implemented.
“As part of our response, we have revised and updated our “Dealing with an Emergency” policy and procedure, which has been circulated to all frontline staff.
“The policy describes the steps that health and social care staff must follow when a person cannot be contacted, ensuring that their status is investigated promptly. The policy also includes guidance on mandatory entry where there are concerns about the person’s safety and whereabouts.
“The recommendations of the review have been incorporated into a comprehensive multi-agency action plan. This plan ensures that all recommendations, including those from the Safeguarding of Adults Reviews, are acted upon and tracked to completion.”
A spokesperson for BHRUT added: “In line with the recommendations to our Trust in the report, we are reviewing our policies and procedures to see what improvements can be made.”
In June 2023 a coroner said he was “at risk” of explaining the deaths of mother Zarin Adatia and her daughter Tasneem, 48, who had not been seen for six months before being discovered by gas inspectors carrying out a routine check in East Finchley. .
An inquest at North London Coroner’s Court heard a post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be indeterminate, although no toxicology report could be carried out due to the passage of time.
Tasnem had diabetes and was a carer for her elderly mother, who was almost immobile and had “sickness” but no known medical conditions.
