The daughter of a Monifieth care home resident claims elderly people were left “standing in the cold for hours” after an evacuation.
South Grange Care Home was locked down on Tuesday afternoon after fears there may have been a gas leak.
However, Barchester Care has since confirmed to relatives of the 79 residents that there was an issue with water contamination.
The operator has also apologised to residents and their relatives.
Residents were taken to Monifieth High School before being temporarily rehomed at other sites.
However, the daughter of one man living in the home has criticised how it was handled.
Confusion after evacuation of Monifieth care home
The woman, who asked not to be named, claims residents were left standing around in the cold and later forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor of the school.
She said: “The elderly people were left standing out in the cold for two to three hours.
“Someone had given them foil blankets but that was all.
“Family members couldn’t get near them because of the police cordon and at that point, we had no idea where my dad was – no one from the home or (operator) Barchester was giving us any information.”
The woman says that at around 7pm, her family eventually tracked her dad down to Lochleven Care Home in Broughty Ferry.
She said: “We had no idea where dad was, no one got in touch to tell us.
“Most people didn’t know where their relatives had been taken.
“We eventually found out ourselves. We were then told that he was being transferred via taxi to Whitehills Hospital in Forfar – this was at 1am.
“We are incensed at how this was handled: the general lack of contact and information, how our elderly relatives were dealt with and no apology at all over what has happened.”
A letter sent to relatives by Barchester Care said water going into the home had been contaminated – and tests were being carried out to ascertain the cause.
It added that the earliest residents would be able to move back was Friday afternoon but more likely over the weekend or Monday.
South Grange Care Home operator apology to residents and relatives
A spokesperson for Barchester said it was an “incredibly complex emergency situation with minimal notice.”
“It was not our decision to evacuate,” they added.
“But we complied with the authorities to safeguard our residents by doing so as safely and quickly as possible.
“Once that decision was made, we had to exit immediately, and we had no further access to the home except to pack up care plans and medication.
“Phones and wi-fi, including the landline, had to be switched off for safety.
“But we kept relatives informed as frequently as possible with the resources we had via calls and emails, although not all families were contactable.
“Residents were moved to local care homes and hospitals depending on their needs, supported by staff from South Grange.
“All residents were accompanied by staff during transit and in their new settings.
“An apology to all residents and relatives has already been made, as we recognise how worried they were and that we were unable to contact everyone in a timely manner.
“Thankfully, all residents and staff are safe and well.”
A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “We were asked to attend the centre to investigate reports of a problem with water quality. “
“There are no issues with the supply entering the property and it would appear to be a private matter contained within the building.”
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