"My husband’s care"

My husband had a severe stroke ten years ago while undergoing an operation at Bedford hospital. He received very poor care there but after very good physio therapy elsewhere, he made enough progress to enable him to walk and drive an adapted car.

In November 2021 he had a fall, resulting in a broken hip and a long stay in Luton & Dunstable Hospital where he received good care.

He was moved to Bedford for rehabilitation in order for him to walk again. He received very little physio there despite a long stay. They informed us, on the day that told us he must go home, there was nothing more they could do as he had developed arthritis in his good knee, with the bones rubbing against each other. As a result he came home bed bound, needing two carers three times a day.

He has had little support from the GPs at his surgery. Nobody seems to care that with a little more help and support from the GP, he could walk.

We have real problems contacting the doctor, even to speak on the phone. The doctor doesn’t want to come out to see my husband, despite the fact he cannot get to the practice due to needing a hoist to get from chair to bed and two adults to help him. We eventually had two visits from district nurses, after being told by an appallingly rude receptionist that that they would not visit as my husband’s doctor’s surgery was too far from our home.

The district nurses couldn’t have been kinder or more helpful. My husband has been into hospital three times since his fall in 2021. Twice, with a urinary tract infection which led to delirium and inability to eat or drink, and once, after a visit from a doctor sent after a call to 111 because he was vomiting blood. The doctor seemed very alarmed when they witnessed this and sent for an ambulance immediately.

Again,  after each stay in hospital his ability to move got worse as he was left in bed for weeks. The hoist we got for home use was very reluctantly given after my protestations to various parties.

I should mention here, that in 2021, after visiting A&E at Luton & Dunstable Hospital with various worrying and painful symptoms, I was told both my heart and bowel symptoms were concerning, but the heart problems needed immediate investigation. I decided to have tests done privately as there was such a long wait for NHS tests.

To cut a long story short, I had triple heart bypass and replacement valve surgery in May 2022. The care I received at Harefield was excellent, however I was admitted to Luton & Dunstable with sepsis within hours of returning home.

After recovering, I again went to A&E with painful symptoms. Tests were done there and I was diagnosed with bowel cancer and I had surgery to remove the growth and a large section of my colon. I seem to have made a good recovery from both my heart and bowel cancer surgery which were undergone less than six months apart. I haven’t had much time to think about myself anyway as my husband had required so much care and my dealings with doctors, adult social care workers, receptionists etc has been a spirit crushing experience. My mother and brother, who I was very close to, also died during covid.

The past three years have left me feeling very dispirited and disillusioned with some of the people I have been in contact with. The kind ones are like jewels, but far and few between.