RELATIVES of people living in a care home in Wroughton have spoken out after a retired care home worker warned people to look out for abuse.

Sons, daughters and partners of loved ones who have experience of care at Lady-mead Care Home, which is run by Four Seasons Health Care, have praised the support they have received there.

They have spoken out after Lesley Searley revealed a catalogue of abuse at Dannah House, in Wroughton, as well as several other homes in Wiltshire, in Tuesday’s Adver.

David and Ann New, of Queensfield, both have parents, Doreen New, 93, and Gwylam Griffiths, 91, at Ladymead Care Home.

Ann, a retired nurse, said: “Following a fall my mother-in-law spent 16 weeks in hospital. Unable to walk and care for herself we were fortunate enough to secure a room for her at Ladymead. We did not expect her to survive four weeks, but thanks to the professional care she has received she is thriving and is now into her fifth year there.

“Following my observations, I had no fear of having my father admitted there when he needed care.

“You need to be selective. There is good and bad in everything, but please let’s praise the good for a change.”

In Tuesday’s Adver, Mrs Searley spoke of residents at other homes being lifted without the right equipment, an elderly man who was punched in the face by a worker and profit-driven owners who complained about broken biscuits.

But relatives of people at Ladymead Care Home, which won a Pride of Swindon award last year, said the care they have encountered is nothing like that.

Terry Rossitter, 67, of Salisbury, visits his father, Russell, 91, at Ladymead Care Home every week.

“I don’t know what happens in other nursing homes, but this nursing home is not like that. I am confident of that. When my father came here in 2010 he had spent three months is hospital and we were worried he wouldn’t be around for long,” said Terry.

“Since he has been here he has put weight on and is healthy. He is going to be here for years yet. He has come on in leaps and bounds.”

Sheila Saile, whose mother Edith Friend is in the home and Veronica Swadden, whose late husband Rex was there for just over a year, agreed.

Anne Rouse, who has been home manager of Ladymead for 15 years, said: “Ladymead strives to preserve and maintain the dignity, individuality and privacy of all service users within a warm and caring atmosphere and, in doing so, will be sensitive to the service user’s needs.”

The Adver was told by the Care Quality Commission, which replaced the Commission for Social Care Inspection in April 2009, that it had no records for Dannah House and was unclear what action had been taken despite the home being shut down five years ago.

Lesley, 59, said: “I have no regrets about speaking out.

“I have worked with many competent and caring staff, but I also encountered standards which were shockingly low. Only by people making complaints through the official channels can we put pressure on the Government to raise standards.”

Lesley, a former care home assistant, manager and NVQ trainer-assessor, admitted she was a ‘coward’ for not taking her own complaints further than her immediate bosses.