A WOMAN whose mother and father-in-law spent eight months living in Thelwall Grange Nursing Home claims living in the home ‘shortened their life spans’.

Her mother and father-in-law were admitted to the Weaste Lane care home in 2005 for emergency respite care.

The couple were initially supposed to be in the home for two weeks but after a deterioration in their health they remained at Thelwall Grange for a period of eight months.

The care home was recently place into special measures following a tip off from a cleaner who worked at the home.

An inspection by the Care Quality Commission found the home to be inadequate and that there had been 10 breaches of the Health and Social Care Act.

The report said sinks in a sluice room were stained with faeces, residents were at risk of weight loss, some had long unclean fingernails, one had just two baths in four weeks and radiators with no covers were found to be at a temperature of 67c whilst dementia patients were sat next to them.

The Stockton Heath resident, who doesn't wish to be named, alleges her father-in-law suffered severe bed sores and was left bed-ridden after his time in the home.

She said: “My father-in-law was in bed for weeks with bed sores – he was always on his back and they didn’t turn him on his side.

“He didn’t get a proper pressure mattress and until he was transferred he didn’t get out of bed – it made him bed-ridden and shortened his life span.”

After eight months the couple were moved to a care home in Old Hall following Julie’s complaints.

The current owners of Thelwall Grange Nursing Home did not own the property at the time that the woman’s mother and father-in-law resided there.

A spokesman for Smallwood Homes Limited said: “We are well on the way with the improvement plan – engagement with relatives and residents has been good and we are waiting for the next report from the Care Quality Commission.

“We are very positive about it.”

Meanwhile, in a letter sent to the Warrington Guardian, a nurse at Thelwall Grange said a number of improvements have been made and a ‘huge amount of money has been spent to benefit the residents’.

Janine Higgins, an experienced nurse of 43 years who has been a temporary member of staff at the home for a year, said: “In all the time I have worked at Thelwall the staff have given 100 per cent to the welfare of the residents and treat them with the love and care they deserve – I would be quite happy for any of my family to be at Thelwall given the current improvements.”