Son says his dad is being failed by Northampton care services after residential home attack left him with PTSD

A son whose dad has been left with PTSD after being attacked in a care home says his relative is being failed by home care services.

Les Windle went into a local care home last year after a hospital stay. The 83-year-old needed help eating and drinking and had lost 10kg.

But son William claims during his first weekend at the home Les was assaulted by one of the other residents, who entered his room in the early hours of the morning and attacked him after thinking he was in her bed.

William said: “It has psychologically ruined him, and it seems unlikely he will ever fully recover.  His GP has said he is suffering from PTSD and he's on anti-psychotic medicine.”

Following the incident, Les went back to live in his flat, with the support of carers three times a day through a private company, supplied by West Northamptonshire Council.

Dad-of-three Les is entitled to 11 and a half hours of care a week, but William claims his dad gets around half this as carers leave so quickly. He also claims the community mental health team advised Les should receive 24-hour care.

William says his dad has previously been left in a urine-soaked bed when he ran out of pads, had medication missed, and had his key safe left with the correct code still on.

William said: “Dad is lucky if he gets six hours maximum as the carers are in and out again as quickly as possible.

“The problem is they have missed his medication while rushing, with epilepsy and glaucoma medications both missed for a month without anyone noticing.

“Dad’s eyesight has deteriorated but thankfully he got lucky, he didn't have any seizures.

“Care staff also regularly leave his key safe open with the code still on.”

The private care company has now given notice on the contract with Les, which William says could lead to him being left without care.

He said: “Dad's care plan may well lead to him no longer having carers, despite a clear need. He can't afford to go privately so how he'll cope I don't know.

“He can’t go into a care home as he is still remembering the attack many months on and has just started anti-psychotic medication off the back of the incident.

“Dad's story is a warning of how bad the health and social care is in Northampton. It needs an overhaul ideally today. 

“I am exasperated by the fact that people who are meant to be helping make things so much worse, it's frightening.”

The private care company says it is unable to discuss individual care arrangements or complaints, but remains committed to addressing concerns and taking action where needed.

A spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities for the safety, wellbeing and dignity of everyone receiving our services extremely seriously. We have established safeguarding, medication management, complaints and quality assurance procedures to support safe care and meet our regulatory obligations.

“The concerns raised were referred to the local authority safeguarding team and notified to CQC. The safeguarding team worked collaboratively with The Care Bureau to review the concerns and relevant evidence. The safeguarding process concluded that the allegations were not substantiated.

“We remain confident in our governance and safeguarding processes and committed to maintaining high standards of care, professionalism and accountability.”

And West Northamptonshire Council says it takes concerns about the quality or safety of adult social care services seriously.

A spokeswoman said: “We cannot comment on individual cases due to our duty to protect people’s privacy and confidentiality. However, where concerns are raised with the council, these are considered through the appropriate adult social care, safeguarding and quality assurance processes, and action is taken where necessary.

“We would encourage anyone with concerns about the care or safety of an adult to report these directly to the council so they can be properly considered. Where someone believes there is an immediate risk of harm, they should contact the emergency services.”