An Army veteran was left in bed with uncleaned vomit at a Yorkshire care home in the weeks before his death – his family have claimed.
Tracy Allinson believes dad John Lloyd could have lived longer had he been cared for properly at Old School House care home in Gilberdyke, in the East Riding of Yorkshire before his death in October 2021.
East Riding Council launched an investigation into his care, but the family said they had been unable to grieve and denied closure due to delays in receiving the findings.
The council’s Safeguarding Report upheld several of Mr Lloyd’s family’s allegations that he did not receive the standard of care expected from a residential home – HullLive reports.
It upheld claims of poor hygiene prior to the 77-year-old getting a urinal infection, his dietary needs not being supported and drinks being left on his bedside table.
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The report also upheld claims his room was not cleaned for long periods and that he was not offered fluids often enough.
It also partially upheld claims Mr Lloyd had been given medication on an empty stomach, causing him to vomit.
Allegations that the care home was generally untidy, did not have proper facilities for residents with mobility issues and communicated with the family poorly were not upheld.
The report further stated it could not uphold the family’s claim that the lack of care led to Mr Lloyd’s death and recommended no further action for the home.Â
It added there was evidence the home had improved following its findings including by monitoring residents’ weight more thoroughly.
The council has apologised for the delays and said that the written findings of their inquiry have been sent to the family. However, Ms Allinson says she has yet to receive them. The care home has declined to comment.
Mr Lloyd, who had frontal lobe dementia, died in Hull Royal Infirmary after staying in the care home for eight weeks from August 2021.Â
His family had sought a place at the home because his wife was no longer able to care for him.
However, soon after his arrival, Mr Lloyd began to complain about the way he was being treated.
Tracy said: “My dad had dementia but he still knew what he was doing. The nurses didn’t get him out of bed and the sides of the beds restricted his movements.
“My dad was an amputee and he had a false leg but because he hadn’t gotten out of bed he’d got too big for it and couldn’t wear it.
“I asked them to get him out of bed and put him in a chair, but they left him in bed constantly.
“At one point he was sick in bed and social services came in and wanted them to clean it up. A lot of things started going wrong, because of my dad’s health he preferred finger food and we told them that, but they’d still bring him things like fish and chips which he couldn’t manage.
“We’d come to visit him and we’d find full cups left for him to drink himself, he knew they were there but didn’t have the ability to pick them up. He lost about four stone in eight weeks, he went into hospital three or four times during that time too.
“They moved him from one room to another, he wasn’t getting the care he needed.” She claimed: They didn’t clean him at all, they weren’t brushing his teeth, and after three or four weeks we stopped seeing his wash bag with his clothes in – which we later found in his wardrobe.
“At one point he had to go back into hospital because of a water infection he had. So these were all things that were clearly visible but when we put all these complaints to them they started getting funny with us because we knew what was going on.”
Ms Allinson claimed: “A doctor came to visit him one day and he spent 20 minutes waiting outside before someone let him in. The day before he died he passed out and the home called an ambulance, by this time he was dying and for the home not to recognise that was unbelievable.
“I’ve heard that the ambulance crew said after they took him that they’d never seen such poor quality care, the social services said similar things. He passed away in October 2021 and 18 months later the council’s social services have taken on the case.
“It feels like the home has been allowed to get away with treating someone as they have done, it’s like they think that now he’s dead it doesn’t matter. If social services had been on top of this we could have had some closure, we haven’t had a chance to grieve.
“My dad served in the Army for 22 years, he fought for this county, he didn’t deserve to die like this, no one does. The system’s broken, I could have walked away from all this but I can’t live with myself knowing this could happen to someone else.”
The Care Quality Commission rated The Old School House “Good” after its latest inspection in July – with the home now under new management since Mr Lloyd stayed there.Â
East Riding Council’s adult social care director, Beverley Compton, said Mr Lloyd’s family had now been sent the written findings of their enquiry into the care he received.
She added: “The council undertook a safeguarding adults enquiry following concerns raised by John’s family. John’s social worker was in touch with the family throughout his care, on a weekly basis, and the family received a verbal overview of the findings from the enquiry once it had concluded.
“The enquiry took place as soon as concerns were raised. However, we apologise for the delay in sharing the full report with John’s family. We would like to express our condolences to the family and all affected by John’s death.”
