A woman has received compensation after being placed in Watford care home that failed to tell her about a Covid outbreak.

Tremona Care Home in Watford agreed to provide respite care for a woman, known as Mrs Y, while her family went on holiday.

Before the woman arrived at Tremona for a short-term stay, Covid had spread.

By the time Mrs Y got there, 11 people had tested positive for the virus, and four members of staff staff were in isolation.

The home should have told the family about the outbreak before they agreed to provide care, according to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO).

B&M Care Homes, which runs the Tremona Care Home near Nascot Wood, has apologised for the situation.

The ombudsman investigator found that the care home recorded a Covid outbreak on August 11, 2022.

Staff tested all the residents and reported the outbreak to Public Health England and Hertfordshire County Council.

A woman named in the the report as Mrs X had arranged respite care for Mrs Y – her mother – from August 15, two days before the family holiday from August 17.

Mrs X took her mother to the home on the correct date.

When she returned the next day, care home staff told her about the outbreak.

According to the LGSCO report: “Mrs X took her mother home as she did not want to leave her in the care home when there was an outbreak of Covid-19.

“Her family flew out on holiday on August 17.

“Mrs X could not go with them until she had made alternative arrangements for looking after her mother.

“She arranged live-in support for her mother, which cost a lot more than the care home.

“Mrs X flew out to join her family on 18 August, incurring extra costs of £243.”

The report sets out Mrs X complained to the care provider on August 22, and B&M Care Homes agreed it had failed to tell the family about the outbreak, and apologised.

The provider said care homes did not have to close during Covid outbreaks, but agreed to refund £2,135.71 for the time Mrs Y was not in the home.

In making their ruling, the investigator said: “There is no dispute over the fact that the care home should have told Mrs X about the outbreak of Covid-19 before she took her mother there.

“If it had done so, it is clear she would not have taken her mother there.

“It also seems likely she would have been able to make alternative arrangements for her mother’s care without having to rearrange her holiday plans and incurring additional costs.

“Mrs X says she would also have been able to make cheaper arrangements for her mother’s care.

“However, there is not enough evidence to support that claim, as she would still have been making the arrangements at short notice.”

The LGSCO ruled the home must refund the additional costs of £243, pay £150 for the inconvenience caused, and show that care providers have taken action to “ensure that, in similar circumstances, the care home would tell all the relevant people about an outbreak of Covid-19”.

A B&M Care Homes spokesperson said: “B&M Care have since compensated Mrs X and apologised for the inconvenience caused.”