Man 'damaged beyond repair' over mother's death during Covid

A man whose mother died during the pandemic has told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that he and other relatives who lost loved ones are "damaged beyond repair".

Glenn Grundle said his sense of loss was still so great that he now goes to bed every night not caring if he wakes up the next morning.

He has been giving evidence to the inquiry during its last ever week of scheduled public hearings, which is examining the pandemic's impact on society.

Grundle, who represents the Northern Ireland Covid Bereaved Families for Justice, said not being able to be with close family members in the final hours and days of their lives "tears us apart".

Milda Grundle was 73 years old when she died in April 2020.

"We are all damaged, and damaged beyond repair," the Coleraine man said.

"This is about impact, and probably the greatest demonstration I can give of that impact is that I go to bed every night and I don't sleep very well, but when I do, I really don't care if I wake up in the morning."

He added: "That is the impact of what has happened - of how we have been damaged. That is the mental impact of that, and that also goes into the physical side of things because we are suffering with physical health issues as well.

"Many of us, and I include myself in this, because of our experience with hospitals we don't want to see healthcare professionals.

"We put things off because of how we were treated in the aftermath of our loved ones' deaths - we don't want to deal with them."

Grundle said members of his group had been told things by healthcare staff that "were not true".

He also said a nurse had attempted to persuade him to have his mother's body cremated, which he said was "not in a nurse's remit".

Grundle said that when his mother was admitted to hospital in April 2020, she was "immediately put under pressure to agree to a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) CPR.

"No-one was allowed to go with her... she was alone, very ill, vulnerable and she was really scared about the DNR CPR."

Grundle said he argued with a hospital consultant that his mother should not be subjected to a DNR, adding: "He told me that in his opinion, my mum should have a DNR CPR because she - in his opinion again - she had no quality of life as she used a hoist and had carers.

"This is a definition that fits so many disabled people. I was absolutely shocked."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.