Boss of care home where 11 died recalls ‘begging’ on phone for PPE
● Believed to be first home hit by Covid-19 pandemic
The boss of a care home where 11 elderly residents died from suspected coronavirus recalled daily tears and said she had to spend seven hours on the phone “begging” for PPE.
Westacres Care Home, in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, has now been declared “infection free” by health officials, but is believed to have been one of the first in Scotland to be hit by the virus.
It went into lockdown on 11 March, after discussion with umbrella organisation Newark Care, two weeks before the UK government implemented the national lockdown.
But the first infection in the home was identified on 25 March, and the death toll rose to 11 residents – but all of those are from “suspected” coronavirus as no tests were carried out.
And it was 24 April, nearly seven weeks into the home’s lockdown, when staff members were tested.
Care home manager Linda Carruthers told of the heartache staff and families faced – and was scathing about the accessibility of personal protective equipment (PPE).
She said it was a perverse blessing that the home was one of the first to be affected, as staff were shielded from the terror of stories from other care homes.
Ms Carruthers said: “With hindsight, we were lucky and incredibly unlucky. Because it hit us so quickly, the staff didn’t get a chance to feel the terror they probably should have.
“We were the first home in the area to be hit so we didn’t really know what to expect. At that point, it was just heads down and let’s go. We were absolutely terrified.
“The girls upped their game, they worked extra shifts, extra hours – we were never short staffed. There wasn’t a day when somebody wasn’t crying, which would set the rest of us off. It was horrific. We just didn’t get a chance to grieve.
Care home manager
We didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to relatives. It almost seems like a nightmare.”
The home had masks and aprons, but PPE was sourced from GP surgeries rather than the official channels.
Ms Carruthers recalled a phone conversation in a bid to obtain PPE which brought her to tears, as well as the woman she was speaking to.
She said: “I remember saying, I was so frustrated, ‘You’re makingmekillpeoplebecause we can’t protect them’. And she started crying and I started crying. I was so terrified we wouldn’t get PPE supplies.
“We did get it, but it took me seven hours, and a massive complaint from the Care Inspectorate.”
Staff have created a display board to cherish the memories of the residents who passed away, many of whom had lived there for years.
Ms Carruthers said: “We loved every single one of them. We smile when we look at it and remember tthe funny things they used to do.”
“I remember saying, I was so frustrated, ‘You’re making me kill people because we can’t protect them’ ”
LINDA CARRUTHERS