07/11/05 - 'Care home left my blind dad to rot'.

A heartbroken daughter spoke this week of the indignity suffered by her blind father in his hour of need at a Hertford care home.

Catherine Murphy, of The Ridgeway on Hertford's Sele Farm estate, was left in tears when she witnessed her 72-year-old dad Christopher saturated in his own urine and dribble falling from his mouth following a stroke.

Her sadness turned to anger and disbelief when, after requesting a doctor for him, she was told by a member of staff at Beane River View care home: "They'll only give him two paracetamols and a glass of water."

Catherine, who feels the standard of care given to her father declined as his sight failed, said: "I can't believe they came out with that. It's unbelievable."

Her father was eventually taken to the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, where doctors confirmed that he had suffered a haemorrhagic stroke.

In his hospital bed, Mr Murphy, a retired silver service waiter who took pride in his appearance, made a heartfelt plea.

Catherine said: "He told his brother, 'Don't make it last any longer. Please don't send me back'."

Mr Murphy never did return to the care home in Port Vale. He died just over a month later at Isabel Hospice in Welwyn Garden City and was buried in Hertford's North Road cemetery.

Home operator Quantum Care this week admitted there were "some concerns about Mr Murphy's care towards the end of his stay with us".

'They didn't look after Dad for the last 6 months of his life. There was a total lack of dignity'

CATHERINE Murphy stifled tears as she spoke this week about how her father endured a "total lack of respect and dignity" in his final months at Beane River View care home in Hertford.

The mother-of-two told the Mercury that she had witnessed a decline in the standard of care given to her father since he went blind.

"For 3½ years they looked after him well," she said. "Before he was blind he was never neglected.

"But they didn't look after him for the last six months of his life when he needed them most. There was a total lack of respect and dignity."

Shortly after he lost his sight to glaucoma in July, Catherine made her weekly visit to see her father.

"He was sitting there, in the living room, and he was saturated in his own urine. It was down to his ankles. This was unbelievably degrading for my dad.

"The manager went ballistic and said, 'Heads are going to roll'.

"Three days later my dad was again in his wheelchair absolutely saturated in his own urine and filthy. He had dirty clothes on and was unshaven.

"The manager was heartbroken. She couldn't believe it had happened again," recalled Catherine, 42.

"Even the small things were lapsing. My dad was a suit-and-tie man. I went to see him and he had an old ripped jumper on.

"His room was filthy. His walls were filthy, his carpet stunk, his clothes were all over the place and the toilet was dirty.

"Then I went to see him on September 10. My father was sitting over to one side, the dribble was down to the floor.

"I looked and thought, 'Oh my God Dad, you've had a stroke'. For my dad to have been sitting there like that would have absolutely killed him.

"He's had had six or seven strokes before and I knew it was serious. I told them to ring a doctor and went to drop my son off."

When she returned, no doctor had been called.

"He had a fever, his blood pressure had dropped and again he was saturated in urine — it was on his sweatshirt, his trousers and his bed.

"They said to him, 'Chris, would you like to get up and sit in your chair?' I was at the point of swearing. I told them, 'There's something wrong, he's had a stroke'. I said, 'I want you to ring the doctor'.

"The answer was, 'They'll only give him two paracetamols and a glass of water'."

Beane River View is run by Quantum Care, a highly-regarded not-for-profit organisation which operates 26 care homes in Hertfordshire.

Its charter of rights stresses that it seeks to provide "a high quality of care which recognises the rights of an individual to dignity".

But Catherine said her father's dignity was only restored when he was on his deathbed at Isabel Hospice.

"The hospice was absolutely fantastic," she said. "They gave him the dignity that he deserved to die with."

Following her father's death on October 20, Catherine has complained to Quantum Care about his treatment.

"The director wrote me a letter saying, 'How do you think we can remedy this?'

"But I'm not looking for money. I'm looking to warn anyone else who has got elderly parents to make sure they are looked after," she said.

And Catherine stressed that many of the Beane River View staff are thoroughly professional.

"There are some absolute angels there, some lovely women. Some of them have the patience of a saint," she said.

David Parry, director of care and development at Quantum Care, said action had been taken following the complaint.

He said: "There are some concerns about Mr Murphy's care towards the end of his stay with us. The manager has dealt with one or two incidents.

"We're sorry for any distress caused, particularly as she [Catherine] had been so happy with the care before.

"We're still dealing with this complaint. I gave her my word that it will be looked into. It's complex.

"We've already dealt with staff performance and training needs — we're well-renowned for that.

"It's very common when people are caring for other people that there are human fallibilities. In every organisation, you will sometimes not achieve the best possible standard.

"We haven't covered anything up. We've been up front and presented everything to her."

Asked about the staff response when Catherine requested a doctor, Mr Parry said: "It sounds absolutely horrendous and we're trying to get to the bottom of it. There is dispute on both sides. We've interviewed staff and in some ways they are disputing what was said."

Mr Murphy came to England when he was 17 following a troubled childhood in Ireland, where he was beaten by a group called the Christian Brothers.

He lived in Cromwell Road, Ware, before moving to a council flat in Calton Avenue on Hertford's Sele Farm estate, then sharing Catherine's home. He remained estranged from some members of the family until his death.

"I made my peace with him 17 years ago," said Catherine. "He wasn't a great husband or dad, but if all you are ever taught through your life is you are going to get hurt by other people, it affects you."

Sadly, Catherine fears his final months were as tough for him as his youth.

"I feel like I've been let down really badly," she said.

Source : Herts and Essex News