Four nurses investigated after boy, 5, dies in 'flagship' care home for disabled children

22 June 2025, 18:49 | Updated: 22 June 2025, 23:57

Four nurses are facing fitness to practice tribunals after the death of a five-year-old boy in one of the UK's largest care homes for disabled children.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has decided four nurses should face fitness to practice tribunals over the death of Connor Wellsted, 5, who suffocated in his cot in 2017 while in care at the Children’s Trust facility in Tadworth, Surrey.

The four nurses were initially referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in May 2022. The watchdog closed the initial investigations, but later reopened the probe in November 2023.

The nurses are being permitted to continue to work while awaiting the outcome of the investigation. If the committee decides that the nurses are unfit to practice, they may be struck off or suspended. The committee may also decide that the nurses' fitness to practice is not impaired.

Surrey police reopened a probe into the handling of the boy's death following a series of failings in his care, The Independent reported.

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Connor died at Tadworth Children’s Trust (TCT), the UK’s largest brain injury rehabilitation centre for children, after suffocating when a cot bumper became lodged under his chin. He had been in the facility's care for six weeks and was receiving care for neuro-rehabilitation.

In 2022, coroner Karen Henderson found Connor died after the cot bumper, which was not properly secured, came loose and obstructed his airway.

The inquest found TCT “failed to keep Connor safe in his cot”.

Two more disabled children have since died in the care of the TCT. Raihana Oluwadamilola Awolaja and Mia Gauci-Lamport died in June and September 2023, respectively.

Last month, coroner Fiona Wilcox issued a prevention of future deaths report following the death of Raihana.

The report found there was a “gross failure in care by nursing staff” after they failed to adequately observe her.

It is not known whether any of the same staff cared for both Connor and Raihana.

Multiple failings have been identified in all three children’s care, including a failure to appropriately monitor them.

Among concerns raised by the inquest into Connor's death was the fact he had “no regular or direct supervision during the night”.

The inquest also revealed that staff did not fully inform the police and coroner’s services as to the circumstances of his death.

Police were not informed of the position Connor had been found in, and the fact that he had been dead for some time. They were also not told that the padded cot bumper was initially found across his neck, the inquest heard.

The prevention of future deaths report states TCT’s chief nurse and medical director were concerned about the role the bumper played in Connor's death, but they did not keep a copy of his medical records or inform the relevant statutory bodies and “arguably misled” the CQC.

The pathologist was not informed of the circumstances of his death, which prevented a post-mortem examination from taking place to establish whether the cot bumper played a part in how he died, the report said.

The NMC was sent a copy of Raihana’s prevention of future deaths report.

“We are aware of the tragic deaths of Connor, Raihana and Mia and our thoughts are with their loved ones," it told The Independent.

"We can confirm that we have received the prevention of future deaths report in relation to Raihana’s sad death and are considering the appropriate next steps."

“We are only able to confirm whether an individual is under investigation in certain circumstances, which is generally if we have completed an investigation and case examiners decide there is a case to answer.”

The NMC confirmed that, in the case of Connor, its case examiners have decided there is a case to answer concerning four registrants and have recommended they proceed to a fitness to practice committee.

TCT said it had not been informed by the NMC about the decision and would not comment.