"Poor care for my dad"

My father was admitted to NGH with listeria urosepsis he also had diabetes and terminal kidney cancer with secondaries.

Dad was taken from the admissions unit to a ward where the care was appalling - because Dads tumours were in his arms he could not cut up his food, he was left one morning looking at his breakfast despite asking for help, fortunately my Mum visited early that day and found him. Blood sugars of 1. 7 and in a diabetic hypo - fortunately he was ok.

Dad had MRSA no one did his treatment, in fact he wasn't even offered a shower for the whole time he was in hospital. After this we did not leave him, between mum, my sister and myself we did 13 hour shifts 9 am - 10pm every day for 3 weeks. On one of the days we were told McMillian nurses were coming to see Dad I took a day of work to be there for the assessment- when I asked what was happening at the nurses station I was told they had already been, couldn't do anything and had left - they didn't even speak with Dad.

We battled with the staff to ensure Dad was not told anything about his diagnosis without us being there - Dad had a living will which stated that he did not want full details if his illness was terminal, this was completely disregarded until the fantastic cardiology consultant support our plea and put a note on Dads records (the oncology consultant only visited once I had made a complaint to Pals as he felt there was nothing further he could do - until we pointed out that a care plan centred around some sort of maintenance/ pain control etc maybe appropriate).

When Dad was discharged I was at the meeting with Dad, Mum and the deputy ward sister, a student nurse wrote the discharge summary ( she wasn't even in the meeting) it was here we learnt dad had secondary cancer in his bones ( we didn't know until I read the document). I phoned to complain nothing happened.

The consultant, McMillan team and some of the ward staff compounded what was without doubt a terrible time for us as a family. Thank goodness when Dad passed he was on Talbot Butler where the care could not have been better.