No-one would suggest that looking after elderly people is an easy task.

But the evidence given at an Oxford inquest on 88-year-old grandmother Edna Young raises serious concerns.

Mrs Young, who was blind and had Alzheimer's disease, went into Cherwood House Care Centre at Bicester when her daughter, who had been looking after her, had an operation.

The inquest heard that although Mrs Young's health deteriorated, no medical treatment was given at the home. She died later in the John Radcliffe Hospital.

Coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded a verdict of death by natural causes, aggravated by neglect, the first of its kind in Oxford for seven years.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection found "serious deficiencies" at the home.

Thankfully, these are now said to have been addressed, and further inspections are planned to make sure the failings are not repeated.

It should serve as a lesson to Cherwood House, and to all similar homes, that in return for the high fees they pay, families demand the highest possible standards of care when they are looking after elderly loved ones.