A SUTTON war veteran is being ejected from his care home following disagreements between family and staff, claims his grandson.

Craig Whitaker says bosses at Sutton Lodge have given 28 days’ notice for 90-year-old Gordon Dean to leave.

Sutton Lodge, off Sutton Lane, this week confirmed Mr Dean will be leaving the home.

The decision followed a recent meeting between 28-year-old student Mr Whitaker and managers to discuss the complaints he had made regarding the care the home provided to Mr Dean, who has dementia.

Mr Whitaker said managers were also unhappy he had taken a national media journalist into Sutton Lodge to photograph Mr Dean regarding a separate dispute with the NHS and North Yorkshire County Council.

The Craven Herald reported in March about Mr Whitaker’s clash with NHS and North Yorkshire County Council bosses after bills for Mr Dean’s care were sent to the family, despite his eligibility to receive care for free on the NHS.

Mr Dean, who used to be a bus driver, served as a soldier during the Second World War and was badly injured fighting in Normandy. His wife died last October.

In the latest row, this time with Sutton Lodge, Mr Whitaker said he had complained “numerous” times about alleged issues relating to Mr Dean's care.

Mr Whitaker also claimed the home appeared to be relying too much on agency workers.

Mr Whitaker, who lives in Sutton, said that during the recent meeting, he was told that in future he could only visit his grandfather if accompanied by his mother, Mr Dean’s daughter.

He said: “They’ve said we have 28 days to find him alternative accommodation.

"They are serving notice on a 90-year-old war veteran with dementia.

"They said I was not allowed to make any complaints anymore.

“They said I had broken the rules by bringing the press into the home. I had to tell them I was a relative and I didn’t have to abide by any rules.

“They said I couldn’t visit unattended. They said I had to visit with my mum. Then they phoned my mother and said if I visited again, my grandfather would have to leave the home.”

Mr Whitaker said he did subsequently visit his grandfather at Sutton Lodge, adding: “I visit every day and have done for the past year-and-a-half."

A spokesman for Sutton Lodge declined to go into detail about Mr Whitaker’s claims and what led to the breakdown in the relationship between the family and the home.

But she added: “It is with great regret that we have had to take this course of action. We will work to ensure the transition to a new home is as smooth as possible.”