The daughter of a former resident of Singleton Park claims she was driven to the verge of a nervous breakdown following her father’s treatment at the crisis-hit care home.
Janice Johnston filed a complaint to the Care Inspectorate about the care and support her dad Frank Thorburn received while he was in the facility for just two weeks.
It took 18 months for her grievance that he left with a bedsore to be upheld.
She said she has been left “disgusted” at the latest report by the watchdog agency rating the management at the home “unsatisfactory”, and staff competence and staffing arrangements, compassion, dignity and respect shown to residents and infection prevention and control practices as weak.
Mrs Johnston said: “I read with disgust the Care Inspectorate’s report into this place and can’t believe that six years down the line from what happened to my dad, it’s still the same.”
Mrs Johnston’s father Frank Thorburn was admitted to the facility between March 19 and April 2, 2016, for two weeks of respite care, against his daughter’s wishes, after he was diagnosed with dementia.
She said: “During the time he was there, I raised concerns about his care which was then followed by phone calls from social services telling me if I continued to harass the staff, legal action would be taken against me to stop me visiting dad.
“Despite having dementia, he wasn’t too bad when he went into Singleton Park but when he came out, he was a shell of a man.
“We visited him twice a day but were told we weren’t allowed to take him out for a walk.
“He was struggling to eat what they fed him because he couldn’t chew. He didn’t say a word while he was in there yet had been talking before that.
“The night before he came home, my sister and I were getting him ready for bed and found bedsores.
“It absolutely broke me to see him like that.
“We had looked after him at home for years and not once was there broken skin. We didn’t say anything that night because he was coming home the next day.
“When I complained, the owners of Singleton Park said he must have got them from sitting in the taxi that brought him home.
“It was only through photos and written statements that I was able to prove this. During this time Social Services were well aware of issues and still continued to send people to this place.
“It took me 18 months of fighting and a near nervous breakdown for the Care Inspectorate to find Singleton Park failed my dad whilst he was in their care for only two weeks.”
Mrs Johnston had complained to the Care Inspectorate that during her dad’s stay, nursing staff at Singleton Park failed to deliver appropriate care and support to him resulting in the development of a bedsore.
Following an investigation, the Care Inspectorate finally upheld the complaint, stating: “Mr Thorburn’s general state of health indicated that the risk of tissue damage was high...there were failures to ensure that all appropriate care to avoid a sacral pressure ulcer was delivered.”
Mr Thorburn died aged 78 just a month after leaving Singleton Park.
His daughter said: “Everyone deserves some care and dignity, especially near the end of their lives, but my dad didn’t get that.
“The home has been given an improvement notice and will be monitored after the recent failings were reported but since it’s been brought to light, I’ve been contacted by numerous other relatives whose family members were put through the same as my dad.”
Mrs Johnston is urging other family members to contact her via Facebook or email 1960janj@gmail.com and is planning to hold a meeting in a bid to consider action on any concerns.
She added: “It’s time all the family and friends of people who have suffered in this place stood up for our loved ones and do something now.”
