Care at Eton Park home in Nottinghamshire 'dreadful'

The niece of a 97-year-old woman says her aunt's treatment at a Nottinghamshire care home destroyed her "mentally and physically".

Theresa Noaks said her aunt Irene Shields' room at Eton Park Care Centre in Cotgrave was "dreadful" and "stank".

The county council has already suspended its contract with the home, owned by Elder Homes, after a critical Care Quality Commission report in 2013.

Elder Homes said it is working with the council to improve care at the home.

Company spokesman David Messenger said he was confident the home would meet the CQC standards at its next inspection, adding the allegations were "not a true reflection of the care being delivered at the home".

The firm said it had "fully addressed" issues with staff and management since the 2013 CQC report and recently invested £500,000 to improve facilities.

Mr Messenger said Elder Homes wanted to reassure families that "we are continuing to work together to rectify the remaining shortfalls".

Officials from the county council and other agencies have called a meeting to speak to residents' families to discuss conditions.

Mrs Noaks, from Kinoulton, Nottinghamshire, said her aunt was "depressed and… finally ended up on the floor of her room asking God to take her."

She added: "The room was dreadful - the commode does not get emptied and it stinks.

"Her room smells and because she took to her bed with depression she couldn't get to the bathroom because it was too far away.

"It has destroyed her physically and mentally being in there."

A county council spokesman said: "We take all concerns about the quality of care at care homes in the county very seriously and are currently looking into the concerns raised about the care that Mrs Shields received at the home."

Mrs Shields, who is originally from Northamptonshire and has dementia, lived at the home for six months and is now receiving treatment at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

A more recent CQC report on the 76-bed home released in March also raised concerns about staffing levels and "adequate levels of nutrition and hydration".

The report said systems "for identifying and managing cleanliness and infection control, and the maintenance of the premises" were not working properly.

Elder Homes Group, based in Essex, runs 15 care homes and independent living centres across England.