"My nephew was neglected"

My nephew was admitted to the Infectious disease ward at Castlehill Hospital. At first he was able to press the buzzer for attention but it was ignored, I was there to witness it so I know it to be true.

He deteriorated rapidly and I often saw him left in a urine soaked bed. My daughter who is a nurse her self complained and was told it would never happen again. My nephew told me it did 3 more times.

3 days before he died I went with my sister and brother in law to visit my nephew at 6.30pm where he was lying on a bed in a room with the nurses station in view. It was opposite so they could keep an eye on him. But I feel that they didn’t whilst I was there.

The door was closed not propped open like I think it should have been. My sister had changed his bed earlier in the morning with his partner because she had a final meeting with his doctor and had popped in to see my nephew before she left. She told me he again was lying in his own urine and that was the reason they changed the bed. The bag with the bedclothes was still on the floor where she had left it because a nurse had told her it would be moved.

My brother in law told me to get the nurse because my nephew was soaked and I mean soaked in his own urine. He was wearing a light grey t-shirt and it was dark because it was wet where the urine had seeped through it. The bed sheet was very very wet, he hadn’t only urinated once and it was obvious to me he had been left, neglected.

I asked the nurse when had she looked at my nephew, we were told he was supposed to have been checked every 15 mins.

I was told that was the norm for the care of the dying pathway. I don’t think that applied to my nephew whilst I was there.

It was very upsetting to see him like that; my sister was very upset that her son who was slowly dying and seemed to be neglected by the people who were caring for him.

I would never ever want anyone else to have the treatment my nephew had, that is why I have decided to send my story.