"Lack of Care and Dignity - Royal Liverpool Hospital Ward 7A "

Recently I spent 5 days, excluding discharge on the 6th day on Ward 7A at the Royal Liverpool Hospital. During this time a patient with dementia and epilepsy was permitted for an entire night to grab at my body, frightening me, preventing my sleep.

On the 3rd day, the same patient went into epileptic seizure. I informed the nurse 3 x but the seizure was not monitored by her as the nurse chose to clean another patient above addressing a medical emergency. A healthcare assistant was told to “watch”, then seemed to be smiling and sniggering as the patient’s body was exposed during seizure. I asked to cover the body but was told to stay in bed. On arrival on the ward, a doctor tried to resuscitate this patient but the electrics failed, the patient died next to me. I experienced subtle intimidation by a nurse thereafter.

The apathy and lack of empathy of 4 staff members affected other patients on this ward and myself. An elderly patient who could not reach the buzzer was left in excess of an hour with soiled diapers unchanged, crying. She was left and shouted at by a nurse going off duty. Another with severely infected legs was left to sleep in a chair falling forward hitting her head on the floor in the early hours. I twice witnessed this and informed the nurse but the patient was left sleeping bent in the chair, vomiting and calling out in pain, all 5 days of my stay.

On the 4th day of my stay I informed a nurse of sore chest pains, I was told to relax and made to feel that my condition was all in my head. Over the hour, I informed the nurse again and a healthcare assistant that the pain was getting worse. Towards the end of the hour, an ECG was put on me and a doctor then told me I was having a small heart attack. I am a young person with no history of heart problems. The day after this I was shouted at by a nurse when I sought help because the electrics on my bed broke.

Besides these incidents, I witnessed faeces left in toilets not cleaned and patient drinking water used to mop the floors. I am traumatised by my stay on this ward and am concerned about those on left on this ward.