Calderdale & Kirklees

My father fell at home (he'd taken his fob off) and was taken to Huddersfield to be checked. While there he caught hospital acquired covid. He was in hospital for approximately 8 weeks where he was on 4litres oxygen a day for 2 weeks, he recovered from covid. Unfortunately he then developed pneumonia. We were not allowed to visit while he was in the covid ward, so I did video visits, which were horrendous.

When he recovered from the pneumonia he was moved to a general ward where he had to quarantine for another 14 days and again no visits. I was eventually allowed in and on 2nd March, his 88th birthday i spent 2.5hrs with him having a picnic and chatting. He was on great form.

That evening the social worker assigned to my dad rang and said a room had been found in a care home for him for rehabilitation. Dad was moved on that Saturday. The deterioration in the following weeks was absolutely horrendous. Dad was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in his late fifties and had completely changed his diet but the care home was giving him sweet drinks and sugar in his tea. On one of my visits he was talking gobbledegook so I insisted they checked his urine for infection. They argued it was a difficult test to do but i insisted. Yes he did have a urine infection so antibiotics were prescribed.

During this time I was researching other homes and found a room in what I thought was a much better home according to the CQC rating. I saw him on Easter Monday, he was on fine form, and he was moved the following day. I have an email stating he was telling jokes and had settled in well.

That Saturday my brother phoned to prepare me for the worst as the home said he was declining. He then received a call 2hrs later stating Dad had "rallied". He went over to check and yes he was fine. This was a complete puzzle to us.

On 27th April, 4 days later, my dad was dead. Death certificate states bronchial pneumonia, frailty of age, diabetes, heart failure and covid.....we were told if we dud not agree he would have to have a PM. My dad died alone in a strange place. He trusted us to help him and we couldn't.

The guilt my brother and I feel is horrendous. The care home didn't even send us their condolences, just packed his things and told my brother to pick them up from their reception area. We are still trying to digest how this could have happened to us, 2 intelligent people who were unable to get my dad out....