“A DEVASTATED daughter claims her elderly mum was fed “slop not fit for a dog” by a care home before her death – and has photos to prove it. Colette Clarke has shared images of “disgusting” plates of beige, processed food that her 85-year-old mum Wendy Parsons was given during the two years she spent”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
Colette Clarke has shared images of “disgusting” plates of beige, processed food that her 85-year-old mum Wendy Parsons was given during the two years she spent at Daleside Nursing Home in Birkenhead, Wirral.
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Colette Clarke claims her mum Wendy Parsons was given “slop” as food during the two years she spent at Daleside Nursing HomeCredit: Kennedy News
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She described the food as “slop not fit for a dog”Credit: Kennedy News
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Wendy died in December last year from pneumonia, influenza, and a bowel infection called clostridium difficile, or C. diffCredit: Kennedy NewsThe “shocking” images show dry chunks of sausage rolls, torn up sandwiches containing what appears to be a yellow cheese and a plate of a brown unidentified “slop”.
Other distressing photos show former carer Wendy’s clothes, bedding and even herself covered in what appears to be her own urine or faeces on multiple occasions last year – and even covered in horrifying bruises from falls.
After sharing the “appalling” images of the food she found her mum being served at the care home, commenters branded it “disgusting” and asked “what goodness is in that?”.
Colette, 54, said: “To be honest [the food was] appalling.
“The website says they have a chef and they cook these nutritious meals. But I’ve seen what they get. The food they do get is the most basic stuff, I’ve seen it being delivered.
“Good healthy nutrition [is important] for elderly people. Well you would think so wouldn’t you but no they got this slop instead! Personally I wouldn’t feed it to my dog!”
When sharing images of how she found her mother in soiled clothes, she wrote: “Putting a loved one in a nursing home is quite traumatic for a family, they go through so many emotions and not to mention fears of what could happen.
“[These] pics might be quite shocking and almost disturbing. To me they are heartbreaking.
“Imagine my utter disgust that over a two-and-a-half-year period I regularly found her clothes in the following state.”
Colette, from Wallasey, Wirral, recalled the moments leading up to her mum’s death.
She says she visited Wendy in December last year and discovered she’d “quickly gone downhill” after starting with a cold days earlier.
Retail worker Colette claims the mum-of-two was barely conscious and was forced to hunt for care home staff and demand they ring 999.
A triage nurse was dispatched who apparently took one look at Wendy and said she needed to go to hospital “immediately”.
Wendy was rushed to hospital but died three days later – with her death certificate saying she had pneumonia, influenza, and a bowel infection called clostridium difficile, or C. diff.
Colette claims a hospital doctor said if Wendy had been admitted earlier it would have “made a difference”.
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Colette says her mum was served plates of beige, processed foodCredit: Kennedy News
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One picture shows torn up sandwiches containing what appears to be a yellow cheeseCredit: Kennedy News
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Other distressing photos show former carer Wendy’s clothes, bedding and even herself covered in what appears to be her own urineCredit: Kennedy NewsColette’s claims ‘not substantiated’Daleside Nursing Home said there was a safeguarding investigation in early 2025 as a result of Colette’s complaint and her claims around inadequate care were “not substantiated”.
They claimed Wendy’s meals were “prepared to accommodate both medical and dietary needs”.
However a Care Quality Commission [CQC] inspection last year branded the care home “inadequate” on the safety elements and the service was found to be “not safe”.
Colette said: “I was disgusted that the place entrusted to care for mum would actually let her get in that condition.
“Mum had complex needs. They [care home staff] were aware how quickly she could go downhill.
“When my brother went in over that weekend she was down and out. She should have already been taken to hospital.
I was upset, I was disappointed, I was angry. Really, really angry. We’ve put out trust in them to look after mum and look at the state she’s got in. Look how they’ve let her goColette Clarke
“Then I came in on Monday and found her the way she was.
“I went to the office and told them ‘if a doctor isn’t here in 20 minutes I’m calling the ambulance myself’.
“My brother asked the doctor ‘if we had brought her in earlier, would the situation be better?’
“The doctor told us it certainly would have made a difference, that knocked us sick.
“I was upset, I was disappointed, I was angry. Really, really angry. We’ve put out trust in them to look after mum and look at the state she’s got in. Look how they’ve let her go.”
Daleside Nursing Home is part of We Care Group, which operates care homes across the North and North West, with fees starting from £890 per week.
Colette said: “There’s a quote on the We Care website from the CEO, which says, ‘if care isn’t good enough for my mother then it’s not good enough for anyone’.
“Well he can’t think a lot of his mother.
“I raised concerns with them in the past, and I had a meeting with one of the managers.
“[My mother had worked as a carer] and wouldn’t have had it. She would not have stood for it.
“Even when she was in Daleside, she was caring – she used to go round tucking the chairs in, tidying the dining room up.”
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A disturbing image showing Wendy covered in bruises from fallsCredit: Kennedy News
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In December last year, Colette says Wendy was discovered to have “quickly gone downhill” after starting with a cold days earlierCredit: Kennedy News
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Colette claims her and her brother were told by doctors if Wendy had been treated in hospital sooner, it would have made a differenceCredit: Kennedy NewsDaleside was rated ‘Requires Improvement’ in an inspection carried out in 2024 by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
One section of the report read: “The service was not safe. We identified three breaches of the legal regulations.
“We identified multiple failings with regards to medicines and risk management. Some staff had not been safely recruited.
“Concerns raised by family members had not always been appropriately listened to nor acted upon in a robust manner. This placed people at risk of continued harm.”
A spokesperson for Daleside Nursing Home said: “We Care Group takes all accusations and complaints extremely seriously, demonstrated by the fact our team held weekly meetings and lines of communication with Ms Clarke and her wider family members regarding Ms Parson’s care.
“While Ms Clarke’s report reads as distressing, Daleside Nursing Home was subject to a safeguarding investigation in early 2025 as a result of this complaint.
“However, following an extensive review by the Wirral safeguarding team, Ms Clarke’s claims around inadequate care were not substantiated, and they have since drawn the matter to a close.
“All residents are provided with care plans tailored to individual requirements. While We Care Group won’t disclose specifics of anyone’s care plan, we can confirm that Ms Parson’s meals were prepared to accommodate both medical and dietary needs.”
Wirral Council were contacted for comment.
- Try to resolve the issue by speaking with the care home’s manager or owner.
- Be clear about what you want to happen or what changes you expect.
Contact the local authority or Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- If the home is funded by a local authority, contact them directly to complain about their service.
- In England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for regulating care homes but they do not investigate individual complaints. However, you can contact them to raise your concerns and inform them you are complaining about the care home.
Consider an ombudsman
- If your complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction by the local authority or the care provider, you can complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO). The LGO investigates complaints about council and social care services.