Grieving family's fury over Whim Hall care

Published 30 Nov 2009 10:56 0 Comments

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A GRIEVING grandson has blamed a local care home for the death of his grandmother after discovering it failed to improve the standard of care it provided to its residents - despite repeated warnings from a care home watchdog.

Jim Black contacted the Peeblesshire News to complain about the care he claimed 94-year-old Mary Dowds received at Whim Hall Care Home near West Linton after the Care Commission revealed it was considering plans to close it down.

He decided to go public with his concerns after reading our report which revealed the regulator, which is responsible for the regulation and inspection of all care services in Scotland, could cancel the home's licence to operate after an inspector ruled the standard of care it was providing was unacceptable.

Mr Black claimed that his grandmother was left with untreated sores on her legs in a fly-infested room which smelt of urine on the days leading up to her death on September 18.

And, on the day she died, he claimed care home staff refused to call an ambulance to take the former nurse to hospital - despite a request from his mum amid concerns about her deteriorating health - and then waited four hours to call the funeral directors to collect her body.

Mr Black also claimed jewellery went missing from his grandmother's room in the past year and that care home chiefs offered him £60 compensation in a bid to stop him making his claim public.

However, Cleethorpes Care and Nursing Ltd, which is currently providing a specialist management team at Whim Hall Care Home on behalf of Guardian Care Homes UK, has refuted the allegation that they were to blame for the death of his grandmother.

Speaking to the Peeblesshire News, Mr Black, from Penicuik, said: "It's sickening.

"My grandmother stayed at Whim Hall Care Home for more than four years but she didn't get the health care she deserved or paid for. And, in the end, they left her lying in her bed like a dead sheep carcass in a field.

He added: "I feel sorry for the residents left there but I'd like to see the place close down. It smelt of pee and all sorts - it just wasn't clean."

Care home chiefs claimed Mrs Dowds was not transported to hospital on the day she died because a doctor had advised she should not be moved.

And, despite continuing the investigation this week, they argued there was no evidence to substantiate Mr Black's allegation that staff were to blame for her death.

Maria Gatt, managing director of Cleethorpes Care and Nursing Ltd, said: "We express our sympathy to this family for their loss and are sorry they are not satisfied with the care and treatment provided to their relative.

"Immediately after receiving a letter of complaint from the family on November 18, we began a thorough investigation into the concerns they have expressed. Guardian wrote a letter to the family to inform them we were investigating and to invite them to discuss their concerns directly with me.

"While we have yet to complete our investigation, I must say that the very detailed notes of Mrs Dowds' care and treatment at Whim Hall do not provide any evidence to substantiate these allegations.

"It is also evident that Mrs Dowds was not transported to hospital because a doctor had advised she should not be moved.

"To maintain dignity, Mrs Dowds' body was laid on her bed to await collection by the funeral directors.

"At no time has it been reported to us - either in the letter of complaint or earlier - that any of Mrs Dowds' belongings went missing."

But she added: "We will respond in full, directly to the family, about our findings once our investigation is complete, which will be within 14 days of the family's letter being received by us."

The Care Commission confirmed it has taken enforcement action against Whim Hall as it has continually failed to improve the standard of care that it provides to residents and the regulator revealed it was working with Scottish Borders Council to ensure alternative accommodation for the care home's 29 remaining residents should it be forced to close.

Lawrie Davidson, Regional Manager with the Care Commission, said: "It is unacceptable that improvements have not yet been made.

"Our priority is to ensure vulnerable people using care services are receiving at least the minimum standards of care set out in the National Care Standards.

"The Care Commission has issued a notice to propose to cancel the service if improvements are not made, which could effectively remove its license to operate.

"The service provider has until December 1 to submit a request for a review of the Care Commission's proposal to cancel its registration. The provider has already indicated to us that certain improvements have been made, and we will be carrying out an inspection within the next few weeks to check on this progress."

This article appeared in Peeblesshire News 27 Nov 09

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