Case Studies

Care Campaign for the Vulnerable raises awareness on the need for safety monitoring in UK care homes, particularly in the care of elderly living with dementia. Reports of unwitnessed injuries are regularly reported to us and families and carers say there is little or no transparency surrounding many accidents or incidents that happen in dementia care homes. The account below is from a daughter who raised concerns when visiting her mother in an Outstanding CQC rated care home. Reference. https://www.itv.com/news/central/2022-02-22/nottinghamshire-family-accuse-forest-hill-care-home-of-neglect-after-finding-mum-with-dementia-covered-with-dirt

The family are now wanting to remove their mother from this care home after a ''catalogue of failings''.

''I have raised many formal complaints about the care and treatment of my mum whilst she is living in a care home.

Having only just been allowed to visit since 13th December 2021 as a result of the provider's rules regarding vaccination and visitors, I am absolutely appalled at what has been going on at my mother's care home behind closed doors.

I have made several complaints in relation to the care given to my mum, all of which have been disregarded and no improvements have been made. In fact, every complaint I have raised with the home general manager so far has been met with a response that places all blame and fault at my mum's door.

When I complained about why my mum IS STILL being served meat (she's a vegetarian ) the home manager told me that my mum 'chooses this'. How does my mum choose, if she is not given a choice? How does she know there is a vegetarian option unless staff have told her this? Why does this basic need become the responsibility of the person with dementia? This cannot be stated as a personal choice. Mum's personal choice for the last twenty years not to eat meat and therefore no member of staff should be offering mum a meat choice after almost 18 months living at this home.

When I complained that my mum's hands and lips were blue and that she was extremely cold to the touch and wearing just a t-shirt when the home's heating system had broken down in the height of winter in December, the manager told me that my mum is always dressed appropriately to weather conditions but that my mum 'removes her clothes.' This is absolutely a load of nonsense as my mum has been unable to dress for a number of months let alone take off her jumper. Again the blame for this failure was passed it back onto my mum.

On 7th February 2022, I visited indoors only to be met by the most abhorrent smell of urine on the memory lane unit. It made my eyes sting and I found it difficult to breathe. In mum's room, this smell was a hundred times worse so I immediately opened a window. When I raised this with staff that the smell was so bad I was told that they can't smell anything as they are wearing masks all day! What sort of an answer was that? Just because staff are wearing masks should then no one cares what the smell is like for the unmasked vulnerable residents? I was assured that mum's bedding and the room had been cleaned and that cleaning takes place continuously on the floors and around the home. I seriously doubt this.

The photo taken of my mum's feet was taken recently when I visited her with my sister. Mum was in bed and all her bedding was messed. The care staff said that this is from one evening of her ''walking around the home.'' I suggest that the home has a serious hygiene problem and the floors of the home are filthy unless, of course, it is my mum's fault for not choosing to wear slippers. I have purchased four pairs of slippers for mum over the last twelve months and not a single pair is in her room or available to her. What do staff think when they see mum walking around barefoot in winter on such a dirty floor surface?

I visited on 7th February 2022 and it had been fourteen days since my last visit. Mum was not wearing her wedding ring, but she was wearing it on my last visit. So in just fourteen days, mum's wedding ring has been removed and staff have no idea where this is. Mum has never removed this ring and was still wearing one of her other rings on this hand. A member of care staff member confirmed to me that she had already noticed mum was not wearing her wedding ring, but when she raised this concern she was told that mum has never worn a wedding ring since she arrived at the home. This is completely untrue.

Our family can not understand how the care home has managed an outstanding CQC rating rather than on the verge of being closed down. There are serious failings with care, activities, meals and overall safeguarding in our mother's care home and this requires immediate intervention.

Care Campaign for the Vulnerable is supporting the family. If interested in this case study please contact us in confidence ccftv.cares@gmail.com