Woman accuses a South Shields care home of neglect while caring for her mum

Lynn Robinson, from Shropshire, has accused Seahaven Care Home, on Beach Road in South Shields, of neglectful treatment of her mum while she was in their care.

Jean Wilkinson became a resident at the home in August 2021 after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia. She remained there until her family moved her out in October 2022.

During the 14 months at Seahaven, Lynn stated that her mum suffered from many “unwitnessed falls” which resulted in long waits for medical treatment, as well as no heating or power in her mum’s room for long periods of time.

The 62-year-old said: “When she moved in during August 2021, everything seemed fine at first.

“We inspected her room and reported that it was a bit scruffy and that the carpet was uneven, which needed sorting as mum was walking with the aid of a walker at the time.

“The first real issue we had was when mum had an unwitnessed fall, staff had found her but didn’t get medical treatment straight away. In the end, mum had to wait around 12 hours before an ambulance arrived.

“On other occasions there was water leaking into her room from the roof, no heating, no power at times, it was just absolutely appalling.

“We would come up to visit mum to take her out for the day and a lot of the other residents would beg us to take them along.

“They may have been old and suffering with various illnesses but they all still had a right to dignity and that was something which they were not getting.

“Mum would also have unexplained injuries that she had received when she fell but nothing was recorded by the staff and when we reported it to management, it just felt like everyone just closed ranks to defend the home.

“There were some carers at the home that were really good but a lot of them were definitely not up to standard - the place needs shutting down.”

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When Jean moved out of Seahaven in October 2022, she became a resident at Willowdene Care Home, in Hebburn.

Sadly, she passed away on Monday, August 7, at the age of 90, with Lynn believing that the care she received while at Seahaven was a contributing factor.

She added: “It was sad for us to have to move mum out of South Shields to Hebburn as she had lived in Shields her whole life.

“The change in how mum looked when she went into Seahaven to what she looked like when she left was horrific.

“Obviously her cause of death was to do with her Alzheimer’s and dementia but I am 100% certain that her experience at Seahaven was a contributing factor.

“When she left, she was frightened, she had given up walking and she had stopped eating and drinking - she was just a totally different person.

“The whole thing has devastated us as a family and we are heartbroken for mum, I think she would have still been with us if not for Seahaven Care Home.”

In August, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) announced that Seahaven Care Home would be put into ‘special measures’ following an inspection.

As part of its report, the CQC remarked that “the environment didn’t always allow people to live with dignity which infringed on their human rights”.

The Shields Gazette has asked Seahaven Care Home for a comment regarding the care of Jean Wilkinson but is yet to receive a response.