ONE of the main care com­panies used by Islington has been ordered to respond to a coroner’s concerns surrounding the death of an elderly woman while under its care.

Angela Carpos, 94, died after she collapsed while eating a meal on Christmas day in 2022.

A Prevention of Future Deaths report, has now been issued by St Pancras assistant coroner Melanie Sarah Lee who said that further training was needed after carers seemed unsure about what to do. The MiHomecare agency must respond to her by June 17.

Her daughter Francesca Carpos had praise for the company. She said: “My mother was a frail 94-year-old lady with Parkinson’s Disease who had been house bound for the previous nine years. Her carers at MiHome­care had been truly wonderful at all times.”

An ambulance was called but she went into cardiac arrest and died later at the Royal Free Hospital from aspiration pneumonia, an infection in the lungs caused when a substance such as saliva goes down the windpipe and enters the lungs.

Ms Lee’s report said: “In Angela’s case, her daughter recognised very quickly that there was a problem and called an ambulance immediately. However, the carers (who knew Angela well, and cared for her with diligence) were unable to recognise aspiration pneumonia and were unclear about whether they had received any training on it, were unclear about what train­ing they do receive, or how often they receive it.”

Francesca Carpos said the aspiration pneumonia was “an accident”. She added: “While the coroner did make recommenda­tions, it is important to clarify that this does not reflect a failing on the part of MiHomecare.

“The staff at the care home provided my mother with compassion­ate and competent care throughout her time with them, and also at the time of her death. The recommendation for additional training was a procedural outcome and not an indictment of the care provided.”

While Islington has 46 care agencies it uses, it has two main “bulk” providers – one of which is MiHomecare.
MiHomecare did not respond to requests for comment.

An Islington spokes­person said: “Though Angela Carpos lived elsewhere and was not under Islington’s care, we are seeking assurances from MiHomecare that they have taken all necessary actions from the coroner’s notice.”