I'm sorry to be posting here but I'm in such desperate need of advice that I need the traffic. I'm also sorry it's long.
My grandmother has had a government funded place in a care home for the last four years. She is kept there under a DOLs following having been sectioned for self-neglect as a result of a combination of severe mental health issues triggered by Alzheimer's (and now, four years later, the Alzheimer's has started to progress). She has never had an estate or assets to pay for care and we as a family don't possess the means either.
Her behaviour over the four years has admittedly been challenging at times (rudeness, biting, etc) but DGM is <5' and genuinely not a physically intimidating person, even if she can be difficult. However her behaviour as she's deteriorated both physically and mentally, so over the last 18 or so months, has improved and she is mostly co-operative with the care home staff nowadays with some encouragement.
As far as we have been made aware, her care needs up until the last couple of months were mostly showering and encouragement to keep sanitary. She has only very recently required assistance with changing her own pads (we don't know if she doesn't recognise or doesn't care when she sitting in mess). She was fully mobile and didn't require any special diets.
A few weeks ago we were alerted that she hadn't appeared herself and hadn't eaten, however we weren't told until end of play on the third day that this was occurring. We said we wanted her to see the GP the following day as a matter of urgency, and the GP prescribed antibiotics for a UTI. The home were calling my DM on a daily basis saying DGM was refusing to take her tablets or drink, as well as still refusing to eat. DM was going over daily and getting her to drink at least a cup of water and take her tablets without much difficulty, just a lot of prompting. The staff said they didn't have time to sit and prompt her to drink.
On the fourth day they called my DM and said DGM suddenly couldn't swallow fluids and that they'd called 999 because they were concerned she might choke. My DM took emergency leave and raced over there, to find no issues with her swallowing, no signs of a stroke, etc. DM had told the home she was prepared to take DGM to A&E herself due to the ambulance wait times, and so before DM even got there, the home had cancelled the ambulance. DM called me while she was there as my partner is a paramedic, and the staff outrightly refused to speak to him saying they didn't care what he had to say and wanted her to go to A&E. There was also a doctor from the surgery at the home when the swallowing difficulty occurred and the home reported that the GP refused to see DGM because "she'd be assessed at hospital". DM ended up taking her.
On assessment at A&E, they found urine burns so severe that they immediately safeguarded the home and made an in patient referral to one of the dermatology teams. They said they'd never seen damage like it. She has since been kept in hospital on IV antibiotics for the UTI. They have also had SALT in who have advised DGM appears to be having difficulty swallowing food which is why she hasn't always been eating and now requires a softer diet.
A few days ago they declared her fit for discharge, however the home said they wanted to make an assessment first. DM asked what they meant and they said they needed to see whether she required a hospital bed and whatnot first, fine. However last night they called DM to say they refuse to have her back on the basis she now needs nursing care, and that was that.
Having to stay in hospital for a prolonged period of time whilst another care facility is found, and then the upheaval of moving to a new home/unfamiliar environment is legitimately going to kill DGM. I know what you're probably thinking, "why would you want her to go back to somewhere that let her get to that state?" and whilst I do completely agree that their care was, at least on this occasion, awful, I am also aware of how difficult a change in routine is for DGM's mental state. The hospital were going to discharge her with District Nurse support as well as regular SALT input/review and OT.
We are in shock that the home can refuse to have someone back when no alternative plan is in place, and thus she can be left in hospital unnecessarily. We believe the safeguarding made against them and the complaint my DM has made about the whole situation has basically made them not want her back now.
We genuinely don't even know where to start with getting help now. We don't know who to call to find her somewhere else because she is public funded, we don't know if there's anyone we can call who is able to force them to take her back temporarily with additional external support in place, we don't know if we should be phoning someone like the CQC or a solicitor or something as the impression we've been given my the hospital is her UTI likely stemmed from the same circumstances that lead to huge skin damage from urine burns.
Please help with any experience/signposting.