A WOMAN has raised concerns after a vulnerable elderly man was found wandering in a busy main road after leaving a Huntingdon care home.

The man, in his late 70s, was cold and unable to speak when he was picked up by Sarah Seal and her mother Lorraine Winsor, who were travelling down St Peter’s Road at around 3.30pm last Wednesday.

They took him to Ringshill care home, Sallowbush Road, at about 5pm after spending an hour driving to other homes trying to find the correct place. Mrs Seal said Ringshill staff told her they had last seen the man at around 2.30pm.

The care home later told The Hunts Post the man – who has lived there for five weeks – went missing at around 4.30pm.

Mrs Seal, 32, of Commandeer Road, Huntingdon, said: “I got out to stop the traffic. The man couldn’t speak. We gave him a piece of paper to write his name and address on but he wrote down what must have been his old address.

“At Ringshill I went in and asked for the man by name and the nurse said ‘he’s not here’. Then another nurse came down the corridor and said that she had left him in the dining room and when she came back he was gone – she said the fire door alarm was not working.

She added: “I think it’s disgusting that he was out on his own. I was quite upset. If that had been my nan, I would go mental.”

A spokesman for Ringshill said: “The resident, who does not usually wander, left through an emergency exit, which of course cannot be kept locked for safety reasons. The emergency exit doors are alarmed to alert staff if they are used, but there was testing of the fire alarm and door alarm systems shortly before it was noticed that the resident was missing. We believe he exited during the time testing and maintenance was taking place.

“We have apologised to the resident’s family for any concern caused by this incident.”

The man’s son said: “We’re not at odds with Ringshill over this issue. They’ve been really good with him and it would be really hard if he had to go to a more secure unit further away.”