A great-grandmother with dementia was neglected at a care home in Ellesmere, her family claims.

Gwyneth Pritchard moved into Ellesmere House care home in 2014 after her husband died, but her family say the poor care she received meant she suffered unnecessarily.

The family eventually moved her from the home in Church Hill in July 2016 after she returned home for a visit with severe urine burns and was unable to sit down.

However, care home director Mahesh Pattani says improvements have been made, the problems have been resolved – and that some of the claims have been ‘exaggerated’..

Mrs Pritchard’s daughter Sue McGivern, a former cook at the residential home said: “Everything was okay to start with but then I started noticing little things like she was losing a lot of weight and they’d dress her in other people’s clothes, and sometimes even put them on back to front.

“I worked at the home but I didn’t expect any special treatment for my mum. I just wanted her to be safe and comfortable but I felt that they failed to do this.”

Mrs McGivern made a number of complaints but said the level of care got progressively worse.

“One day I went to see my mum after work and she was sat in urine, her hair was a mess, there were no sheets on the bed and no TV,” she said.

“I asked them, ‘if this was your mum, would this be the kind of care you would want for her?’ but they just said there was nothing they could do.

“I know she was no angel. She had challenging behaviour because of her dementia but she shouldn’t have been left to lie in bed like that 24 hours a day. She was allowed no dignity.”

The final straw came, says Mrs McGivern, when she brought Mrs Pritchard home for Sunday lunch and found she had painful urine burns.

“Every time she went to sit down I could see she was wincing in pain. My sister, who is a carer, took her upstairs to see what was wrong and she was absolutely covered in burns. She was red raw.”

Mrs McGivern left her job at Ellesmere House and moved her mum to Ottley House where she was cared for until she died in August 2016.

But the family are now fighting for justice for their mum but have not received a reply from the manger of the care home, which is owned by BestCare Ltd in Leicester.

She added: “I’ve spoken to the Care Quality Commission, head of safeguarding and social services but I’m not getting anywhere.

“They keep saying to go for compensation but I don’t want any money.

“I just want them to acknowledge what happened to my mum and to make sure no one else goes through the same thing.”

Mr Pattani told the Advertizer he had handed the case over to the firm’s solicitors who have written to Mrs McGivern on their behalf.

He added: “I’m not saying everything Mrs McGivern has said is untrue but it has been exaggerated.

“We have made improvements, the manager was dismissed and the problems have been resolved.”

Sarah Hollinshead-Bland, Shropshire Council’s designated adult safeguarding manager, confirmed they are involved in the case.

She said: “We are aware of this situation and while we can’t comment on the details of the case, we have been actively involved with the individual, their family and the provider to address the concerns raised.”