25th June 2026
In response to ITV News’ recent report on 25 June 2026 about Sally Lewis, who was supported by Dimensions and whose tragic death occurred in 2017, Rachael Dodgson, Chief Executive, said:
Sally Lewis’s death nine years ago remains a source of deep sadness for all of us in Dimensions. We supported Sally for over 20 years. I know she had a big personality and was deeply loved and cared for by her family and friends, and all who knew her.
We accepted the Coroner’s conclusion that Sally’s preventable death was contributed to by neglect. Our care in relation to Sally’s bowel health fell far short of our standards. We are truly sorry. Dimensions and I personally have apologised to Sally’s family both publicly and privately.
Sally’s family quite rightly expect full accountability. Her death was examined through internal and external investigations, a multi-disciplinary review and the Coroner’s inquest.
Sally’s death profoundly changed our organisation. Following Sally’s death in 2017 we made immediate improvements in both how we support people at risk of constipation, and our management oversight of that risk. We have focused relentlessly on ensuring these changes are embedded consistently.
The changes include:
- Bowel health screening is in place for everyone we support. Where constipation is identified as a risk, there are bowel management plans with guidelines for each individual about when to seek medical advice
- Our electronic record-keeping system enables better management oversight and gives families access to the daily records of the people we support
- All operational colleagues must undertake mandatory training on constipation.
- We have shared resources and learning more widely across health and social care to raise awareness of the risks of constipation beyond our own organisation
- Harm from constipation is treated by Dimensions as a ‘Never Event’. It is something that should never happen because the right training, systems, checks and actions are in place with stronger oversight.
Sally’s death will never be only a lesson from the past. My responsibility is to make sure what we learned continues to result in lasting change for the people we support.
As a not-for-profit organisation, every decision we make is focused on improving the lives of the people we support and delivering better support.
Nothing can bring Sally back; our care and support were simply not good enough, and for that I remain deeply sorry.