Scot whose mum died from coronavirus at care home says 'new admissions killed her'

Caroline Grattan says she was not given adequate information as her mum’s health deteriorated and believes new admissions during the crisis could be responsible for the outbreak that killed her.

The daughter of a pensioner who died of Covid-19 at a nursing home has told care chiefs her mum’s death could have been avoided.

Margaret Johnston, 88, died at The Orchard Care Home in Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, earlier this month – just days after testing positive for coronavirus.

Several deaths have been reported at the home in recent weeks, though HC-One would not comment on how many residents had fallen victim to the virus.

Margaret’s daughter Caroline Grattan told the Record she was not given adequate information as her mum’s health deteriorated and believes new admissions during the crisis could be responsible for the outbreak that killed her.

Caroline, 56, was stunned to receive a phone call telling her that Margaret, a great-gran and mum of four, had been put on end-of-life care.

Despite family requests for the pensioner – who suffered from chronic lung condition COPD and dementia – to be taken to hospital, she died the next day.

Caroline said: “Residents were only getting tested if they were having symptoms. Mum got tested on May 4 and I got word a few days later to say she had tested positive.

“She hadn’t been eating all that weekend and my sister in Canada was due to get a FaceTime from her but it didn’t happen then or the next day.

“I kept phoning but didn’t get any answer, so I went down there.

“I could see mum through the window and they said she hadn’t been eating and they were trying to get her to take fluids.”

Caroline asked staff if her mum should be in hospital on a glucose drip to help her stay hydrated but claims staff told her, after consulting with Covid-19 specialists, that she should remain at the care home.

Caroline, who was her mum’s power of attorney, said: “I got a Facetime with her in the morning and she looked absolutely awful. The tears filled my eyes when I saw her.

“But I never thought it would be the last time I would speak to her. I got a phone call that night from a doctor on my answering machine saying they had put her on end-of-life care. I was shocked.

“I hadn’t had a phone call during the day to say she had deteriorated.

“She passed away the next day. Within an hour of getting the call, the home was phoning to
see who the undertaker was to get my mum’s body out of there. It’s heartless.”

More than 1600 deaths have been recorded in Scottish care homes since the start of the pandemic – almost as many as the deaths in hospitals.

In April, care operators blamed the sector’s soaring death toll on Government guidance telling hospitals to discharge elderly residents to free up beds.

And earlier this month, Scotland’s chief nursing officer Professor Fiona McQueen admitted people arriving in care homes from hospital would “not necessarily” have had results to Covid-19 tests.

Caroline said her mum may still be alive if not for new admissions putting other residents at risk.

She said: “There has been no visiting at mum’s home for coming up to 10 weeks. They were taking people in and self isolating them in rooms, so either those people took it in or the staff did.”

Caroline is in the process of lodging a formal complaint over her mum’s death with home chiefs and the Care Inspectorate.

She said: “My mum and other people are being taken before their time. If my mum had passed away of a heart attack or a stroke, I could live with that.

"But it’s the horrible way she’s been taken. She could have been better protected, along with the other residents.”

HC-One said the home was now in “recovery” after an outbreak.

A spokewoman said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with all families who have lost a loved one from coronavirus and we are doing our utmost to support them during this difficult time.

“HC-One has been regularly keeping in touch with the next of kin of our Residents at The Orchard care home to inform them of the situation, as well as providing the necessary updates on their loved ones.

“Relatives can also call the home for updates and they can contact our Relative Support Team, who are available seven days a week to answer questions or can arrange updates directly from the home.

“We apologise to Mrs Grattan for not communicating with her as regularly as she would have liked.

“We are proud of our Colleagues and how they have risen to the challenge of the coronavirus outbreak by showing huge dedication and commitment to our residents.

“Like many care homes, we were asked to do our national duty and support the NHS by admitting older people who no longer needed to be in hospital.

"No Covid-positive Residents were admitted to The Orchard, and at all times we followed the Government advice on how to take admissions safely, whilst going beyond it to self-isolate new residents for two weeks as a precaution.”