A SON fears for his parents after the care home where they live has set up a 12-bed unit for coronavirus patients coming out of hospitals.

Garth Kerans was worried about his parents Peter and Margaret Kerans at Mapleford Care Home in Accrington after receiving a letter from bosses about the plans on November 6.

Two weeks later his mum and dad both had to be taken to hospital after getting the virus.

In the letter, it said: “As the coronavirus is having an impact on our hospitals in the borough, as a provider we have now liaised with local CCG, LCC and also CQC in providing a 12-bed unit within Mapleford, this will consist of hospital patients being transferred to the home for an isolation period to help assist with the hospital crisis they are suffering at present.

“I am fully award this may bring you as a family member some unrest of how we will be keeping your loved ones safe who remain occupied within the home. The 12 bedded unit will be separated from the main entrance from the home and also have a separate exiting point no transfers will take place as per normal admissions to the home, again this will be blocked off to prevent remaining service users to become in contact with positive patients on admission, staff will also totally isolate onto the unit and will remain on there for each shift that is carried out.”

The 53-year-old, of Baxenden, believes it could be ‘a disaster’ to bring Covid patients near a care home.

His dad is still in Burnley Hospital and had a stroke after complications from coronavirus and is on life support.

He said: “It has been so hard not being able to see them both since February but when we heard this it was worse.

“I am worried about my mum going back there as we don’t know if she still has Covid as all we were told was that she was leaving hospital and she has dementia so we don’t know what is happening.

“To put sick people near the vulnerable is recipe for disaster and you have got to be asking for trouble.

“I worry for the other people who are in the care home who may catch something.

“I am so unhappy and upset about it as I may not get to see my dad again.”

A spokesman for Mapleford Care Home said: “The staff at Mapleford Care Home like many other Care Homes are doing an incredibly challenging job of keeping all our residents safe.

“They follow all the government guidelines to the letter and have, and continue, to go above and beyond to keep their vulnerable clients safe.

“Mapleford has agreed to support the struggling resources of the NHS and set up a COVID ward to free up hospital beds to allow them to treat more patients.

“In these unprecedented times we must all do what we can to help.

“As Mapleford has a completely separate ward and staffing bubble we can keep these COVID patients away from the existing residents.

“The COVID ward opened on Wednesday 25th November and we are monitoring the situation closely.

“Our sympathies are with all the residents and families during this terrible pandemic and the staff who are tirelessly caring for these individuals.”