A CARE home operator is threatening a family with legal action after a social media post about their injured relative went viral.

The post resulted in threats being made against staff at Thornaby’s Woodside Grange after the family of 90-year-old Johnny Frank published a photograph showing injuries he suffered following a suspected fall.

Mr Frank, who has dementia and was in the home for a spell of respite care, was rushed to hospital after being found with head injuries by staff following the unwitnessed incident on Friday, September 22.

A spokesman for the home said staff immediately called 999 and kept the pensioner’s family informed.

However, shortly afterwards his granddaughter in Australia took to Facebook and accused staff of not doing enough to clarify the circumstances which caused him to be injured.

The post, accompanied by a picture of Mr Frank in hospital, also made a number of allegations against the home – claims the company denies.

The post quickly went viral and prompted many hundreds of comments, some of which were abusive and threatening.

Within days, Mr Frank’s granddaughter, who lives in Australia, received messages from home operator St Martin’s Care, threatening legal action.

One message said: “Whilst I understand that you are upset by your grandfather’s injuries, I cannot allow you to defame St Martin’s Care with untrue comments about our Woodside Grange care home and its staff.

“The company is now taking legal advice and we will take whatever legal steps are necessary to protect the company’s reputation, and the safety and security of its staff following threats of violence from those who have read your post.

“We are now exploring the option of taking legal action against you personally for the damage to our reputation caused by your defamatory post. To avoid further reputational damage, I urge you to remove it immediately.”

The post appears to have now been removed.

Mr Frank’s daughter-in-law Noreen Frank, from Middlesbrough, said the events had proved extremely distressing for the family.

She said: “The injuries could have come from a fall, there is no doubt about it but our complaint is about the way this was handled and our main aim is to get to the bottom of the facts.

“My daughter put a picture online of her granddad when she was distressed and now she’s getting threats of legal action.

“My father-in-law would be appalled at all of this, we just wanted him safe and for them to be open when something goes wrong.”

A spokesman for SMC said a thorough investigation had been carried out.

He added: “We are confident all relevant procedures were followed and that our staff delivered the correct level of care to Mr Frank.

"This incident must have caused significant distress to him and his family and we will assist and support them in any way possible.”