"when they were most needed...."

My mum was taken ill on Sunday a dr came but sadly she did not improve and after another 2 dr visited she had a fall and was taken by ambulance to the dirty, notorious horrible overcrowded Medway Hospital. As the building loomed my heart sank, last time I'd gone to the Ombudsman over the care she didn't receive.So on Tuesday I was astonished in to a bay in resus, clean, tidy no blood soaked tissues on the floor. Plenty of nurses around and she was made comfy. Spaced out on morphine she didn't hear the screaming of the patient in the next bed spaced out on drink and drugs. We did not need to hear what was wrong we could smell her. So poor nurses, kicked and scratched trying to help someone whilst an elderly lady in quiet dignity waited for the help she needed. It came in the form of a dr who helped mum with pain miles and us with the truth. Fast tracked to Xray she was very poorly, but in all honesty we weren't surprised and knew her wishes. Too ill to leave the hospital she was found a bed on Harvey Ward where they made her comfy. She had puemonia and at 89 was not liable to survive. The wishes of mum were clear she'd had enough, her other problems made survival impossible so pain relief was the best that could be done. Which was the right choice for her. So we waited for the end. The nurses, did the most fantastic job of looking after her. With great kindness, compassion and care she passed away very peacefully yesterday. I can only say thank you to Medway Hospital from the side room which allowed us to stay with her to the end to the constant offers of tea, toast and coffee. Everything that could be done was. We'd all like to say a huge thank you especially to Staff nurses whose humour and compassion in the lightest touch with mum showed great understanding of nursing by just wiping her brow and cleaning her mouth which was so kind. Mum had care that was beyond what I expected in the NHS, time was not important just mum. We can't praise the hospital enough it was beyond just caring for the body it was also caring for the spiritual side of death as well as Chaplain also helped. So once again thank you all. Underpaid and definitely overworked you made a dreadful time for our family an experience that whilst sad was also amusing. Which my mum definitely understood when she said towards the end she'd fallen to bits and didn't want any more putting back together.