OUTBREAK FURY

Grieving daughter whose mum died from coronavirus in Scots care home says resident returned from hospital with symptoms

A GRIEVING daughter told how her mum died in a care home coronavirus outbreak — after another resident returned from hospital showing signs of the bug.

Sandra O’Neill said her mother Mary Masson, 88, passed away three weeks after an elderly woman allegedly arrived at the facility with tell-tale symptoms.

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But she claimed her parent didn’t get “proper care” after catching the infection — and alleged she died at Almond Court in Drumchapel, Glasgow, with no oxygen support or family by her bedside.

Sandra, 67, insisted OAPs in care hubs are being “written off” amid accusations of inadequate treatment for some who contract Covid-19.

She said staff at the home had been “amazing” with her mum, but demanded: “Why wasn’t she taken into hospital? Why wasn’t she given proper care? She’d had a high temperature before, broken her hip, had an infection and all times was hospitalised.

“But my mum was very ill and she wasn’t taken into hospital.

“She should have been taken into hospital and given oxygen.

“That’s what haunts me — she didn’t get the opportunity to have treatment. It must have been a horrible death not having oxygen.

“I want to know how many people have been taken the other way from care homes to hospitals. I think they were written off.”

Sandra — whose case was raised by Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw at First Minister’s Questions — told how Mary’s husband Alex, 92, didn’t even get to say goodbye before her April 8 death.

She said the family last saw her mum, who had vascular dementia, on March 12, the day visiting was banned due to the virus.

But she claimed care staff later admitted a resident discharged from hospital on March 17 was “pretty ill” when she got back to the home — where the bug has claimed several lives.

Sandra told how an email from Almond Court on March 23 revealed a suspected Covid case.

She said: “I called the next day to be told that the person who was ill had returned from hospital and her family was with her, and they weren’t sure it was Covid.

“On April 5 we were told the residents were all lethargic.

“I got a call on the Tuesday to say mum was pretty poorly and did I want to go and see her. Dad is 92 and was in isolation and he didn’t want to go. So I waited until the next morning, called at 9.40am and was told the GP was with her.

“I got a call at 11.40am to say my mum had passed.”

“On my mum’s floor, nine out of 20 died. The lady who sat with my mum when she died is now off sick.

The lady who welcomed the person back from hospital was off sick with Covid three days later.”

Sandra told of her heartache as figures showed there were 3,779 Covid-related deaths registered in Scotland to May 24 — but totals fell for the fourth week.

Care home deaths were at 1,749, up 124 in seven days.

We told last month how five residents at 42-bed Almond Court had died of suspected Covid-19. The home last night refused to confirm the toll.

But owners Holmes Care admitted a resident treated in hospital for a non-Covid condition in March had returned to the facility and “later developed symptoms”.

They said in a statement: “Although a test was requested, no test was offered as at the time, policy was to test when two or more residents were symptomatic Since the first resident became symptomatic we closed to admissions.”

It emerged last week 921 people were sent to institutions during March alone. The First Minister yesterday stressed patients with symptoms should not have been discharged to care homes.

Meanwhile, another 412 people have died with coronavirus in the UK, taking the total to 37,460.

chris.musson@the-sun.co.uk