The families of two elderly and vulnerable patients who died within weeks of being abruptly moved from a care home say they passed away sooner than they should have.

Rita Bronger, 92, and Margaret Harcup, 91, had both spent years at Blackburn Lodge before their loved ones were told they would have to be moved somewhere else within two days.

The shock decision to re-home 13 people was made after iron levels were found in the building’s water system in Broadway, Sheerness, in November.

Rita, who grew up in Queenborough, had been at the care home since 2019 before she was moved to Tenterden, while Margaret was there for four years before being placed in Faversham. They both died in January.

A protest was held outside the site after it closed. Both of their families believe they would be alive if they hadn’t been moved.

Margaret’s daughter, mum-of-four Sharron Granger, said: “We didn’t get a lot of notice about the move. We were told on the Wednesday mum would have to be out by the Friday.

“There was no decision-making or people told what would be happening. Mum started to decline mentally and physically when she got there. She started losing weight and her mobility and needed to be hoisted towards the end of her life. It was awful.

The 61-year-old sales worker added: “I visited her on Saturday, January 6, and she was very distressed and I left there so concerned. On Monday she died.

“There was no consideration about the move and how it would affect residents. We didn’t even know who was in charge of determining who would go where. I feel that if she hadn’t have been moved she would still be alive.

“An apology for the sudden move wouldn’t cut it. I just want to see Blackburn Lodge reopened as it’s so important for residents and the Sheppey community who use its services.”

Beverley Sawyer’s mum Rita almost immediately went on hunger strike after her move from Sheppey – somewhere she had lived almost all her life.

She explained: “Mum’s experience was totally isolating. With dementia, it’s really important she had stability and continuity and all those things had gone.

“I live in Sittingbourne and my siblings live in Gloucestershire, London, and Leicester so I’m the closest and tried to visit as often as I could but couldn’t be there 24/7.

“I was with her the day before she passed – she was awake and for the first time in a long time I could tell from her eyes she recognised me.

“The day after I couldn’t get to Tenterden in time. Had she been at Blackburn Lodge and I had a phone call I could’ve been there with her when she passed.”

The 63-year-old, who has one sister and two brothers, said she couldn’t fault her mum’s new care home but it “wasn’t right for mum at that stage of her life”.

She said: “From 2019, mum had been there and that’s all she knew.

“It took her a while to settle and she went through Covid, but it was quite plain to me that when carers from Blackburn Lodge came in she was really happy and she knew who they were.

“I feel because the only thing she could control was food and drink that’s why she went on hunger strike.

“The only word I heard her say in the last month of her life was ‘no’ when she was asked to eat or drink.

“She was 92, she wasn’t going to live forever, but we would have liked her to be in Blackburn Lodge where she was comfortable, safe, and secure and felt truly loved. Unfortunately, that’s not how her life ended.

“I’ve no doubt mum would still be alive if she was on the Island.

“The day we were told she was moving, mum was at her most lucid – my brother and his wife visited and she knew who they were and recognised their dog.

“She was still tucking into her food, not a huge amount, but enjoyed all the naughty things like sweets and cakes.

“She was a totally, totally different person in those two months after she was moved and had a huge and rapid decline.

“It was almost like I was grieving the minute she went there because seeing the decline like that was not good.”

A KCC spokesman reiterated that the emergency closure of Blackburn Lodge was due to elevated levels of iron in the building’s water supply breaching Health and Safety regulations.

“We are now working with partners and providers to increase care opportunities on the island...”

They added: “It was not a decision we took lightly and fully recognise how upsetting it was for residents, their families and the local community.

“We supported residents and families through the closure and our social work staff have carried out follow-up reviews with those involved.

“We are now working with partners and providers to increase care opportunities on the island and set to publicly consult about the future of Blackburn Lodge in the coming weeks – so any decisions take into account all views.”