We trusted home to look after our brother.. 3 weeks later, he was seriously ill
Fuming family call for probe over treatment of Hugh, 63
A SPINA bifida sufferer was left fighting for his life after a short respite stay in a care home.
Hugh Caldwell contracted sepsis while at Castle View in Dumbarton and his head and face were left covered in agonising blisters and puss-filled sores.
The 63-year-old would normally be looked after by his sisters, Maisie and Christine. But he was placed in privately-run Castle View, at a cost of £3000, while they attended a family wedding in Australia.
However, when the sisters returned to Scotland three weeks later, they found he had sepsis and was “a shadow of his former self ”.
They claim Hugh, who is now being treated in hospital was housed in a filthy, mouldy room at the care home and not fed or washed properly for three weeks.
His family have called for a full Care Inspectorate investigation and say their brother was charged thousands for substandard care that almost killed him. Christine said: “To think that Hugh’s savings were spent paying for people to look after him and he ended up so seriously ill is upsetting.
“We are Hugh’s carers and we trusted the staff there to look after him while we went away.
“He was totally neglected by the staff at Castle View. We were horrified when we saw him. He was unrecognisable from the person we’d left three weeks earlier.”
They claim staff failed to provide proper medical attention for Hugh and left him extremely distressed. Christine, 60, from Dumbarton, said: “Hugh went into Castle View in good health and we were told he’d be well looked after. “We couldn’t believe the state he was in when we returned home. His head and face were covered in painful open sores and he was left lying on his bed with nothing covering his genitals. He was treated worse than an animal and shown no dignity whatsoever.
“Hugh’s health was failing staying there, he was badly let down. He could have died. We want this home shut down.”
Maisie, 56, added: “If Hugh had been left there any longer, he wouldn’t be with us. The way he was treated was unacceptable and I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. We want answers.”
A spokeswoman for Castle View said Hugh came in with a fungal infection and insisted they were sorry over “initial issues with ensuring his condition was treated correctly or that parts of his room were not as clean as they could have been”.
But they disputed claims Hugh was not fed or washed properly.
The spokeswoman added: “The health, safety and wellbeing of all our residents are our top priorities, and our staff work hard to deliver the best care for them.”
The Care Inspectorate confirmed a concern had been raised and it is “considering all information in relation to it carefully”.