A CARE home has apologised after claims that residents were left without proper heating and hot water.

A relative of a 78-year-old resident at Elmcroft care home, in Little Totham, says residents had only electric heaters and limited hot water for around ten days.

The home says the issue has now been fixed, but the resident’s relation, who wants to remain anonymous, says something should have been done sooner.

She said: “They just said the heating went wrong and they couldn’t get it fixed until Monday. It’s not very fair in this cold weather.

“They’re quick enough to take the old people’s money but not quick to fix the problems.

“I said to them it’s not good enough and they said they have little hand heaters, but they have to take them from one room to another.

“They have an immersion tank for showers and its only hot enough to do a certain number of residents.

“There’s another woman there who has got Parkinson’s and she says she hasn’t been able to wash for two days.

“It’s costing rather a lot of money and they should be getting a good standard of care.

“I think it’s disgusting. They’re old people that all have things wrong with them and I think it’s completely out of order.”

The home has apologised.

An Elmcroft spokesman said: “The safety and comfort of our residents is our primary concern at all times.

“As soon as the heating failed, we called out engineers to fix the issue. However, it was not possible for them to fix it immediately.

“We therefore purchased a number of portable heaters, thermometers and extra blankets to ensure that the residents and the home were kept as warm as possible given the circumstances and that no one was out at risk.

“We apologise the repairs took longer than anticipated, this was our daily focus. We are confident everything is in working order.

“We would like to thank our residents, relatives and staff for their patience and understanding and apologise for the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen issue in the home.”