The family of an elderly man who died at the age of 87 in an understaffed and grubby nursing home, which was later ordered to shut down, say he was treated 'disgustingly'.
Derek Pike, who had advanced dementia, went to live in the nursing home in June 2020 after his wife Christine, aged 84, had a fall and could no longer take care of him.
He tragically died five months later and, due to Covid-19 restrictions, his loved ones were only able to visit Berrystead Nursing and Residential Home, in Syston, Leicestershire, in the final weeks of his life - and they were "disgusted" at the poor state they found him in.
Leicestershire Live reports the Care Quality Commission (CQC) was so concerned about the risk to residents at Berrystead that it successfully applied to a court last week for its closure.
Speaking after the ruling, Mr Pike's daughter, Deborah, said: "We went to see him one day and he had blood and faeces in his fingernails - and when we tried to get him cleaned up he had no hot water in his room."
Upon telling a member of staff, Deborah was distressed to learn that the hot water hadn't been working in his room so they would get some from another.
Christine, 84, was the only person allowed to visit when restrictions initially eased earlier in the year.
She said she noticed his condition decline. "He looked like a skeleton," she said.
"He was kept in a room away far away from the staff even though he couldn't do anything for himself or speak to call for help."
On another occasion when Christine and Deborah were able to visited Derek together, they noticed a smell from his mouth.
Deborah said: "He was supposed to have been given oral cleaning and care, but my mum found he still had banana in his mouth that she'd fed him several days ago."
"The staff didn't care. He was just left in his room," she added.
Describing another visit, Deborah, 62, said: "We found him shivering one day and he was freezing cold."
Other families members, including Deborah's brother, visited towards the last days of his life, only to find further evidence he was not being properly cared for.
In the last days of his life, Deborah said the care home did not communicate how unwell he was.
"We were told they were giving him a tablet to make him more comfortable and a few hours later they called to say he'd died," she said.
Deborah had wanted to bring Derek home so he could pass away peacefully among family.
After he died, Christine was contacted regarding outstanding payments to the home, which is when she declined to pay and formally complained. The family was told the care home would be investigated.
More than a year on, the family say they never received an apology or explanation.
"I'm still so angry," Christine said. "The way he was treated was disgusting and we never heard back from the care home - it's a nightmare."
A damning Care Quality Commission report has since revealed that Berrystead Nursing and Residential Home was 'unfit for purpose' and labelled it 'inadequate'.
The court order applied for by the CQC to close the care home was granted on Friday, January 21. Its residents are being moved to other places of care.
Following the news, Deborah said she was glad no one else would have to go through the same treatment there.
"Thank god the authorities are doing something about it," she said.
But she added: "It's just a shame that this was all going on during the pandemic.
"Because of Covid, we just didn't know what was happening in there and we couldn't check on him until the last week of his life."
After how her dad was treated, Deborah said she would no longer consider placing her family into care.
"It's frightened me," she said. "I'd say to anyone considering it not to put their parents in care after this."
"We're supposed to live in a civilised society and this is how we're treating the elderly."
Berrystead Nursing and Residential Home Limited has been approached for comment.
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