She doesn’t deserve to die on her own

THE FAMILY of a grandmother with terminal cancer say she is facing a lonely death in a care home after contracting coronavirus.

Mark Gordon fears his mother Susan, 76, is too weak to fight off the virus and will die before he and his father Jon, also 76, can be with her.

He claimed staff at Fordmill Care Home, in Montrose, Angus, did not use personal protection equipment (PPE) when dealing with patients.

Mr Gordon, from Montrose, said his mother was moved from Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, to the care home on March 14 for palliative care. But last week Mrs Gordon, pictured, who spent many years working in the family joinery business, was diagnosed with Covid-19 after falling ill with a cough.

The family believe she picked up the bug in the care home.

Several care homes across Scotland have reported coronavirus deaths and the true extent of their death toll is set to be disclosed by the Scottish Government today.

Mr Gordon, 51, said: ‘She is going to face the last few days on her own and she doesn’t deserve that. I feel for my father – they have been married for 50-odd years.’

He added he had fought to secure his mother a place in Fordmill as he thought it was ‘the safest place to be’. But he was dismayed when he discovered staff were not using protective equipment when working with the residents.

A spokesman for Barchester Healthcare, which runs Fordmill, said he would not comment on individual cases.

He added: ‘Fordmill Care Home is well stocked with the appropriate PPE equipment and all of our staff have been using it as appropriate.’