I just feel my mum has been stolen from me
Caroline Grattan believes her mum Margaret Johnston died because she was put at greater risk from infected patients being transferred into her care home from hospital.
Margaret, 88, died days after contracting Covid-19 at the Orchard Care Centre in Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, where at least 14 virus deaths were confirmed.
Many elderly hospital patients with Covid were sent to care homes, which is believed to have contributed to deadly outbreaks during the pandemic’s first wave.
Caroline, 56, is planning legal action against the home’s owner HC-One.
She said: “So many people died because they put people with
Covid in among the most vulnerable people. I don’t know how long my mum had left but I know a lot of people who died would have still been here if the rules had been different.
“I know I can’t bring my mum back but I’ve had to take legal action because
Jennifer Hyland
I feel I’ve been left with no other choice. If my mum had died of a heart attack, I could live with that. But it was the horrible way she died. It could have been avoided.
“So I understand why other families have also decided to take legal action, because we lost our loved ones and many people didn’t need to. There are questions that need to be answered.”
The shop worker said there was no visiting for 10 weeks before Margaret died last May. She added: “I just feel my mum has been stolen from me.”
A report in October revealed thousands of elderly patients were moved from hospitals to care homes at the height of lockdown, the majority without being tested.
HC-One says it is aware of Caroline’s proposed legal action and that it has the “utmost sympathy” for those who lost loved ones. It said any claims would be referred to its insurers.