CARERS at a council-run residential home neglected to wash a vulnerable grandmother for nine months, it has been claimed.

Sandra Montisci says her mother, 82-year-old Irene Hall, has suffered constant neglect at the hands of staff at Edith Pearson Lodge Care Home.

As well as failing to bathe Mrs Hall, Ms Montisci says the carers did not change her clothes, which were stained dark yellow with sweat, and failed to regularly administer her prescribed dementia medication.

She added that her mother's toenails had gone so long without being cut that they were curling over and causing discomfort.

Ms Montisci, of Falmer Road, Walthamstow, said her mother was bathed on December 19, the day before she was collected to be taken home for Christmas.

However, she says there was no evidence that Mrs Hall had been washed between then and the previous March, when she was taken to hospital with food poisoning. Edith Pearson Lodge, in Robinya Crescent, Leyton, is due to close this year.

Successive reports by the Commission for Social Care Inspection reveal it consistently fails to provide a basic standard of care for its residents.

Ms Montisci said: "Staff had repeatedly told us that they were unable to wash her. They said they could not force her to wash and have her nails cut.

"And yet the day after being told that I was taking my mother home for Christmas, they succeeded in getting her washed.

"Professionals should be able to persuade elderly persons with dementia.

"My fiance and I are not professionals but while she lived with us, we managed to persuade her to bathe three or more times per week.

"There is a serious risk of infection and illness."

In June last year, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) said some residents were being neglected due to under-staffing, did not receive the correct medication and were badly treated by untrained agency staff.

A CSCI spokesman added: "We have concerns about the standards of care."

Cllr Liz Phillips, council cabinet member for health, adults and older people, would not comment on the specifics of this case.

But she said: "Waltham Forest Council is dedicated to providing the highest standards of care to our borough's older people.

"We take any allegation of neglect very seriously. We will, of course, contact the resident's family immediately to discuss their concerns."