'˜Neglect' claim over Leeds 88-year-old's infection after bandages left unchanged for 11 days

Veronica Scholes developed the infection after her bandages were left unchanged at Hopton Court in Armley.

Her family has complained about what they say is a lack of care and contacted health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC), while Leeds City Council has been made aware of safeguarding concerns.

Mrs Scholes’ great niece Paige Woodward said her family was appalled when a GP contacted them about the infection.

“It was disgusting,” Paige said. “That could’ve started to go gangrenous.”

Mrs Scholes, known as Vera, was taken to St James’s Hospital on February 12 after a fall. She was bandaged up and discharged on the same day.

However her family was unaware that it wasn’t being tended to until February 25, when they were contacted by a GP who had changed it two days earlier.

Paige said: “Nobody had been out to change it. When they took the dressing off, it was infected. In my eyes, that’s neglect.”

Paige, 21, from Armley, said the family feared that if the infection had set in further, Mrs Scholes could have lost her leg.

Mrs Scholes’ family has complained to the home, Leeds City Council and the CQC.

The latest CQC report on the home, from August last year, said it “required improvement”.

A spokeswoman for Orchard Care Home, which runs Hopton Court, said: “Whilst we are unable to comment on individual cases, we are aware of this incident and are working in close cooperation with social services and the family to investigate this further.”

A council spokesman said it had agreed a detailed improvement plan with the home, which will be regularly reviewed.