"Lack of sympathetic care for my aunty, Betty"

My aunty was on Ward 404. We visited her on Saturday 12 September.

The floor was dirty with food residue and more. There is no reason for this.

My aunty rang for assistance one night needing help to get to the toilet. It was after an hour before anyone came, by which time it was too late. The nurse told her off and was very curt with her for making a mess. This is not good enough.

Betty is virtually blind. She ordered fish and chips every day of her stay because there was no-one there to help her to eat. She could feel where the fish, and the chips were on the plate which she couldn't do with other wetter meals. At least with fish and chips she had some hope of stabbing something she could eat without making too much mess, A severely diabetic lady needs a balanced diet, and at her age and illness she should have help to make sure that what she ate was a balanced diet. I don't class fish and chips for 10 days as a balanced diet.

Also during her stay in the hospital no-one had washed her hair. It looked awful when we saw her, How demoralising and degrading her treatment was. I was shocked.Now she is in a home, and much happier. The first thing they offered to do for her was wash her hair.

One night at 2 o'clock

Betty was woken, frightened and vulnerable as a lady with dementia was trying to get into her bed, thinking it was her own. There was no-one to help for quite a while, and even then Betty was too frightened to go back to sleep. Such patients need constant care, and shouldn't be on a ward with other people. Betty spent the rest of her stay in your hospital in a nervous state. I am glad she isn't there now.

I am sorry to say that if the rest of your hospital is run to these standards a lot of changes need to be made. The nurses need to answer the bells regardless as to whether it's a false alarm or not. Cleanliness needs improving, and actual nursing care needs to be carried out. No-one wants to be in hospital in the first place. At least when they are there please help each individual to feel properly cared for, and safe.