A woman has lodged a complaint against an Ipswich care home alleging that her mother was left sitting in her own urine on a number of occasions and was not washed during her three-and-a-half week stay.
Sharon Chalk last night described the treatment of her 80-year-old mother at Beech Lawn Residential Home as “disgusting”, claiming she was also not given vital blood tests.
Former checkout worker Diana Reeve was admitted to the home in Hadleigh Road last month due to various health problems including chronic kidney disease, vascular dementia and heart failure – she had also suffered a stroke.
Mrs Chalk, 53, said in a formal complaint to the health watchdog that her mother was also not washed after her incontinence pads were changed and that when she spent time in hospital after leaving the care home, the nurse discovered urine sores on her legs and back.
“It hurt me because it was hard for me to put my mum in there in the first place and to see how she was treated was heartbreaking,” said Mrs Chalk, who lives in Ipswich with husband Tim, 50, and has a daughter, Stacey, 33. “I did say to them in anger and in hurt that it can’t go on.”
Beech Lawn was rated as “requires improvement” in its latest Care Quality Commission inspection in the summer.
A formal complaint has been filed with the CQC and a spokeswoman confirmed it would be looked into and would help guide future inspections. Mrs Reeve, who lost her husband Barrie 26 years ago, is currently taking blood thinning medication Warfarin, which requires her to have regular blood tests.
She was due to have a blood test at the home on October 6, but Mrs Chalk claims when she visited her mother the next day she discovered it had not been done.
She said she raised concerns with staff, who then booked the test for October 8.
Mrs Chalk said her mother was also rushed to Ipswich Hospital last Sunday with a heavy nose bleed and arrived back at home on Tuesday.
“My mum worked until she was 75 and to me she deserves a little bit of care,” she added.
Fay Millwood, the manager of Beech Lawn, declined to comment.
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