A care home has issued a statement following a BBC Panorama programme, entitled Elderly Care: Condition Critical.
The programme included concerns about the care of Kathleen Reid, who went to The Poplars, Mountsorrel, in 2008
Mrs Reid, 88, suffered from dementia and in 2010 her family said they became increasingly concerned about her.
Her daughter Joyce Zannoni told the BBC: "Every time I went, there was something not quite right. For example, her bed was wet, the floor was wet. Then finding medication in her drawers and in her clothing, so she wasn't having her medication, obviously."
Mrs Reid died 14 days after being moved to hospital, in October 2011.
In a statement, the home said: "In the programme, interviews with Kathleen's daughter and daughter-in-law, as well as a whistleblower, highlighted concerns regarding the nature and quality of the care given to Kathleen during her final months at the Poplars.
"The BBC invited us to take part in the programme but, as it would not give us sufficient details of the proposed content, we were advised to make written representations instead – some of which (but by no means all) were referred to during the programme.
"In October, there will be a full inquest into Kathleen's death.
"In our view it is in that forum, not on TV, where the allegations and evidence in the matter should be explored.
"Although we take issue with the allegations made in the programme and the context in which they were set, in view of the forthcoming inquest we do not think it is appropriate to detail those at this time.
"However, there are some points that we wish to make.
"First, at no point did the whistleblower tell us of the reason for her resignation, which is strange given that in the programme she attributed this to her concerns about the care being provided.
"Many of our current care staff worked at the Poplars during Kathleen's time with us and they find the criticisms unmerited, unfounded and hurtful to them.
"Secondly, it was said on the programme that half of the residents at the Poplars in 2011-12 died and a statistician said that was at the high end of (although not above) the scale.
"In fact, the total number of residents at the Poplars in the year in question was 30.
"There were 10 resident deaths – one third – which is about the mid-point of the scale. This was higher than in previous years, but of the 10 who died five were terminally-ill residents specifically placed in the home for end-of-life care.
"Thirdly, we do report the deaths of all residents.
"In some cases we even report deaths of former residents, which we are not required to do.
"This explains why we reported 11 deaths in 2011-12 rather than the 10 which we were obliged to report."
The statement said a new care manager had been appointed since Mrs Reid's death and that the most recent Care Quality Commission report acknowledged improvements in care. A spokesman for the Panorama programme said: "We stand by our investigation into the death rates of care homes." And he said The Poplars was "properly informed about the findings featured in the programme. "They were invited to comment and their views were represented appropriately."
