Son of resident with coronavirus says care home has ‘left family in the dark’

Mark Breslin’s 89-year-old mother Betty has been living in Glenabbey Manor care home in Glengormley for the past three years.

He said he believes more than 14 people at the home may have died due to the virus, but that the home’s management have not given him an exact figure.

A spokesperson for Runwood Homes, the owners of the home, told the News Letter the figure quoted to them by Mr Breslin is incorrect but did not confirm the actual number of deaths.

Mr Breslin, who has not been able to visit his mother or enter the home since it was closed to visitors in March, said he is concerned about the way coronavirus might be being handled at Glenabbey in light of action taken by health authorities at another home operated by the same company – Clifton Nursing Home in north Belfast.

Last month, the Department of Health announced it was moving residents out of Clifton Nursing Home following a series of failed inspections.

Mr Breslin said: “You look at infection control at Clifton – there were nine deaths at Clifton Nursing Home. There were many more than that at Glenabbey and my mum is in there.”

He added: “We’ve been left in the dark on this issue.”

The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) identified repeated failures to manage infection control amid the coronavirus pandemic at Clifton Nursing Home.

A deal was reached between Runwood Homes, and another firm known as Healthcare Ireland, that means residents no longer need to be forced from their homes.

The agreement means Healthcare Ireland has now assumed management of Clifton Nursing Home for an “interim” period.

It was reported by the BBC on May 25 that at least nine people had died due to the virus at Clifton Nursing Home.

Mr Breslin said: “My mum is still in a Runwood Home.

“At this particular moment in time I do not feel in the slightest bit reassured by either Glenabbey or Runwood that, should there be a second wave, they will be in any position to control the infection. That is worrying as a family.

“There are nine deaths in Clifton but there are at least 14 in Glenabbey Manor.

“Somebody needs to be asking the questions – how and why.

“How did it get in, we don’t know. But how was it managed when it did get in.

“Relatives need to be involved. We need to be speaking to staff. It needs to be public. We need to know what’s happening.

“And that’s been the problem from the start. We’ve been left in the dark. No one has told us what has been happening.”

Describing his issues with communication with the home while he and the rest of the family were being kept away, Mr Breslin said that he struggled to get in touch with the home via telephone.

“We couldn’t go in and we couldn’t talk to anyone because people weren’t picking up phone calls. This was around the end of March, the start of April.”

He continued: “Going back to the 5th of April we got a phone call telling us my mum had Covid-19 and to prepare for the worst. My sister got that call and she rang around the family. We spent three days thinking this could be the end.

“It was on the 18th of May that I started to ask for the policies and procedures. It took 12 days to get their policies and procedures.”

A spokesperson for Runwood Homes said: “Our invitation remains open for a meeting or telephone communication with this individual to provide any further information or reassurances.

“As always, and throughout the pandemic, our quality of care remains our highest priority and we remain very clear that all processes followed are in line with local and regional guidance. We would like thank all staff for their unwavering professionalism and reassuring care delivery.”

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