WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT; Mechelle McBride said her mother, Elizabeth, experienced unexplained injuries after she moved into Greyfriars Care Home in Mount Vernon, Glasgow, during the Covid pandemic
A woman has today spoken of her horror after finding her elderly mother covered in bruises at the care home where she lived.
Mechelle McBride’s mum, Elizabeth, was living at Greyfriars Care Home in Mount Vernon, Glasgow, Scotland. During that time, Mechelle said she saw her mum’s health deteriorate, and she noticed unexplained bruises and injuries on her.
The woman, who was living with vascular dementia, died in December 2022, aged 81. Mechelle brought legal action against the care home, resulting in a five-figure payout to Elizabeth’s estate. The heartbroken daughter has now said that seeing her mother in the nursing home and noticing she “wasn’t being looked after properly” was “horrendous.”
Mechelle said she wants to speak out about her experience to prevent other families from going through similar ordeals.
Mechelle said she decided to contact the Care Inspectorate because her “concerns and complaints were ignored” – with the regulatory and scrutiny body for social care services and social work upholding all her complaints. “It was never about the money,” Mechelle told the Sunday Mail.
“It doesn’t bring my mum back. It was about making them listen. I don’t believe they are fit for purpose. Everything was just brushed under the carpet and I don’t want that to be the case for other families and their loved ones.”
Elizabeth moved into the care home at the age of 79 after suffering a stroke during the Covid pandemic and developing vascular dementia. Even though Michelle understood her mum would receive one-to-one care, she said Elizabeth suffered repeated falls, significant weight loss, and a series of unexplained injuries at Greyfriars.
Mechelle said: “My mum had been paying for one-to-one care and she was left with just £16 a week from her pension and wasn’t receiving the care she was paying for. We were told she needed one-to-one care, but she didn’t get it. If she had she wouldn’t have had bruising to her face, swollen hands or a broken nail bed.”
She explained that every time she visited her mother, she appeared to have more bruises or injuries, which she documented by taking photos. “I’d go in and her face would be black and blue,” Mechelle said. “Her hands were swollen. She was fading away. She had cradle cap and they were using dry shampoo on her.”
The woman explained that her mum once ended up in hospital weighing less than five stone – and even though she “knew things were not right”, she said “no one would listen.” She added: “They shaved my mum’s head during lockdown. It must have been so distressing for her. Another time she had a broken nail bed, but they said she had jammed her finger in a door. I went to see the manager to demand answers.
“I’d tell them she was supposed to have one-to-one care, so someone should have been with her, but they would simply say social workers had decided she didn’t need it. She was an 80-year-old woman with vascular dementia. How does she not need a bit of care?”
After raising repeated concerns with the care home without success, Mechelle contacted the Care Inspectorate. Following an investigation, the regulator upheld all three of her complaints.
The inspection report stated: “We were concerned the dentures may have contributed to the weight loss and appropriate referrals to a dietitian or GP had not been completed. As a result of the evidence, we confirmed the family of Elizabeth McBride could not be confident her nutritional care and support needs had always been met.”
Inspectors also concluded the care service had failed to communicate effectively with Mechelle after her mother suffered falls resulting in injuries. The report stated: “We were concerned that significant facial injuries had been sustained and external health professionals had not been contacted.” It also found no record of contacting external healthcare professionals when Elizabeth became unable to bear weight.
Determined to secure accountability for her mum, Mechelle instructed Thompsons Solicitors Scotland to pursue a civil claim. The action resulted in a five-figure settlement after the care home admitted liability. Mechelle said she decided to speak out to prevent other families from having similar experiences.