The tragic death of an 82-year-old man at a Cambridgeshire care home has led to a coroner raising concerns about a safety measure used on windows.  

Terrence Taylor managed to override a window restrictor, climbed out of the window and fell from the building’s first floor.  

He died from the injuries he sustained.  

Window restrictors are designed to prevent windows from being opened too widely and are often used in care home and healthcare settings.  

But Mr Taylor’s inquest revealed that even though the mechanism met British Standards and had been fitted correctly, he had “been able to apply sufficient force” to still open the window.  

Keith Morton KC, an Assistant Coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, has released a Prevention of Future Deaths Report outlining his concerns following the inquest. 

In the report, he says: “The evidence was clear.  

“An 82-year-old man was able to apply sufficient force to detach the fitting which secured the window restrictor to the window frame.  

“He was able to do so without the use of tools.” 

The report has been sent to the Department of Health and Social Care as well as the Chief Executives of the Care Quality Commission and the British Standards Institute.  

All have until August 16, 2024 to respond.  

Mr Morton’s concerns include the guidance issued to care home operators around window restrictors and the standards they are required to meet.  

He said: “The current standards [of window restrictors] have been developed to prevent accidental falling from windows.  

“They do not deal with deliberate attempts to defeat the restrictor, which may well be the situation encountered in residential care homes, as in fact occurred in this case.  

“This limitation is not known or understood by operators of residential care homes.” 

Mr Morton now wants care home operators to be issued with “reliable, up-to-date guidance” on this matter and the British Standards of window restrictors to be reviewed.  

Mr Taylor, a retired gardener, died the morning of December 11, 2020. 

He was a short term resident at the Dove Court Care Home, in Kirkgate Street, and suffered confusion and memory loss following a stroke.   

The care home is run by Larchwood Care Homes (South) Limited, which also runs Lily House in Ely. 

The inquest, which was heard before a jury last month, concluded on June 20, 2024.