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The son of a home-care nurse who died after hiring Covid-19 said the lack of personal protective equipment is what killed his mother, as the family was forced to say goodbye through an iPad.
In an online tribute, Ian O’Neal described Suzanne Loverseed, 63, as a “lioness” who gave her all for her children.
He wrote: “In the end, she worked in a nursing home, with patients dying from this virus. She had no PPE [protective personal equipment] but without fear she continued. That’s what killed her. “
Rebecca O’Neal
(@ rebeccaoneal_84)A beautiful tribute for mom written by my brother. Please read. https://t.co/n7dob4R7eV
It comes amid growing concern about the risks facing people in UK nursing homes, and the sector is believed to be at the center of the crisis. On Wednesday, the government released figures that first revealed deaths from coronavirus in both hospitals and the community, including nursing homes. It added an additional 3,811 deaths to those who tested positive for Covid-19 in the community since the start of the outbreak, bringing the total number of deaths to more than 26,000.
Five caregivers, who lost their jobs after raising concerns about staff shortages and shortages of personal protective equipment in homes, are considering taking legal action, according to a charity that says more whistleblowers face being fired before the end of the Covid-19 crisis.
O’Neal said his mother was “too young to die but old enough to die from this, a statistic for others, but the heart of our family.”
He said: “But I will say this: There are some people who still demand that the virus is not so threatening, or that the government has overreacted, or that it doesn’t matter if some old people die.” You are wrong
“We could have spent another 20 years with her: instead, we had to say goodbye to her through an iPad, unable to hold her hand. Her grandson is not yet three years old. About 25,000 other families will know what I mean when I say that I hope God never has a personal cause to amend his opinions. ”
Before working in nursing homes, Loverseed was a nurse for decades, caring for sick and vulnerable people, including the ICU with liver failure at King’s College Hospital.
O’Neal said that before his death, his mother built his existence around his grandson. “He calls her Gigi,” he said. “I have no idea why. He loves his Gigi, he still asks about her. She saw him most days and helped support my sister and brother-in-law in various ways.
“I was a bit offstage, living in Kent. I didn’t care. Why should I? We had years and years ahead of us. He had no reason to be in a hurry. And anyway, every time I saw her, frankly, I took her for granted. Again, why shouldn’t I? It wasn’t supposed to be his last years. “
O’Neal said that both he and his mother loved music and had “loads of records.” He said, “In the 80s, she had bought back most of those CDs, so I was able to steal them and listen to them on my CD player in my room. She was happy enough to leave me. I still remember when I played Dark Side of the Moon to me, not realizing what monument it was. It surprised me. It still does. About two years ago, she took me around Kent, I think she would visit the vineyards where we had lunch, and we played it end to end at maximum volume “.
April 6, Compassion in care The published figures show that he had received 87 calls in the previous two weeks from staff who raised concerns about PPE in social care, including 61 in residential homes, 20 from nursing homes, and six from home care agencies.
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