Widow seeks ‘justice’ after being told her husband was abused at Luton care home

A widow has said she is seeking “justice” after being told by the council that her husband was abused at a care home.

Mrs Savage was told in a letter by Luton Borough Council that her husband, Kenneth Savage, had suffered abuse at Mulberry Court, which is run by Runwood Homes, after he was seen by paramedics with bruises around his face on the day before he died, the BBC reported.

Mrs Savage said: “The family are in bits and now I’ve got this letter – it says he was abused and neglected.

Story continues below

Advertisement

“I just feel I need to get something done. If it’s not for Ken’s justice, it’s for others.”

Mr Savage, who had kidney failure, dementia, Parkinson’s and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), had been cared for at home by his wife before he was moved to Mulberry Court when she required hip surgery in February 2018.

He died in hospital on March 16 of aspiration pneumonia, which is caused by food getting into the lungs, on the day after Mrs Savage alerted staff to his shortness of breath during a visit to the home.

A Luton Borough Council spokesperson said: “The council is sorry for the distressing circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Mr Savage and offer our deepest sympathy to his widow. A senior manager will be meeting with Mrs Savage later this month in order to address her concerns surrounding this terrible sequence of events.

“We are investigating the events surrounding Mr Savage’s case to see if everything that should have been done was done and to ensure that any lessons are learned.”

A spokesman for Mulberry Court Care said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases but we are very assured that the new management team have worked hard to ensure the high standards of care we expect are delivered as standard.

“We take the care of our residents very seriously and as such have worked in partnership with the local council in Luton to ensure quality care provision is maintained throughout the service.

“As a residential service we aim to provide person centred care at all times and act in the best interest of all who share our home.”

Mulberry Court was rated ‘inadequate’ following an inspection by the CQC in May 2018.