'Nursing home left mum's back to rot'

Frances Hales died four days after being rushed from East-moor Nursing Home to Airedale Hospital in Steeton.

She was found to have a gangrenous wound on her back.

A year on from her death, Mrs Hales' daughter Eileen Furbank said she was still fighting to discover what happened.

"My mum's back was rotting away and I am more determined than ever to get to the truth," the 71-year-old from Addingham said.

An initial investigation into the case found staff at the home had done nothing to prevent the sore forming or getting worse.

But after Government intervention - prompted by Mrs Furbank's MP, Ann Cryer - a second investigation is being carried out by the National Care Standards Commission.

Mrs Furbank, of Aynholme Close, said her mother went into Eastmoor in February last year.

She was suffering from dementia and diabetes but her daughter said for her age, her health was generally good. But by the summer, Mrs Furbank noticed a marked deterioration in her mother's condition.

She said Mrs Hales was distressed but could not say where the pain was.

"I asked them why she was crying out for help and they said 'she's got dementia'."

Mrs Furbank said it was only when a staff member mentioned: "We have found a hole in your mum's back and it's gone black," she realised something was wrong. She said she initially assumed it was a bedsore, but phoned the doctor.

"Within two and a half hours the hospital were on the phone asking if I wanted her to be resuscitated if anything happened."

Doctors discovered the rotting flesh at the base of her spine.

"Not only did it look absolutely horrendous but it smelt. It was decaying flesh."

The wound was labelled "necrotic" - dead tissue.

Her mother died four days later, with pneumonia and diabetes as the cause of death.

Soon afterwards, Mrs Furbank complained to care homes watchdog the National Care Standards Commission, which carried out an investigation.

Their first report said: "There was no documentary evidence to show that staff had taken any measures that might have prevented either the formation of the wound or further deterioration."

But unhappy with the way it was conducted, Mrs Furbank went to Keighley Labour MP Ann Cryer.

Mrs Cryer spoke to former health minister Jacqui Smith, who ordered a second inquiry.

The home, which was run by Crowther Residential Care Ltd, has since closed.

Mrs Furbank said she was considering suing the owners of the home because of the expense of trying to find out what happened.

"It has been every day for a year I have been reading reports or contacting people.

"From day one I was never interested in suing and even now my priority is the truth."

Gangrene is caused by an inadequate blood supply and treatment involves removing the affected parts.

It would have been worsened by Mrs Hales' diabetes.

Mrs Cryer, whose own mother suffered bedsores while being cared for in a residential home in the last weeks of her life, urged relatives of the elderly to "blow the whistle" on any neglect, and called for stronger action by the supervisory authorities of nursing and residential homes.

The MP said: "Bedsores are extremely painful, but a person with dementia can't tell anyone they are hurting. But a dementia sufferer must be taken care of just as if they were compos mentis and not be neglected, and in my view lack of knowledge equals neglect."

Mrs Cryer said very young carers in homes, who did not have the experience or understanding of the elderly, should be very carefully supervised.

"If it means the home owner or supervisor staying on at night, then so be it. It is extremely important that relatives of elderly people should blow the whistle where they feel there has been neglect or even mistreatment in homes."

A spokeswoman for the National Care Standards Commission confirmed they had undergone an investigation.

She added: "We are still investigating the complaints and will report our findings back to the family. All complaints are treated seriously and investigated in full."

She said the home had voluntarily cancelled its registration with them, from July 22, when the last resident was moved out.