"Failure to bring a bed pan to patients in time, resulting in 'hosing' them down. "

My mother, aged 97, had some breathing difficulties but was able to sit in a chair, although not able to walk to the toilet. When I came in, she was very distressed, saying in the morning she asked for a bed pan but no one came and she eventually wet the bed, and was told off. She said it happened to others on the ward.

While I was there, she became anxious saying she needed to 'do a poo'. I asked for a nurse or anyone who could help me lift her onto a bedpan, but was told no one was available. I tried on my own but couldn't lift her. She was so distressed, jigging her legs up and down, trying not to go in the chair and trying not to cry. I asked for a nurse again and walked to other areas trying to find someone. I went back and held her hand, saying someone would come soon. After about another 5 minutes, she couldn't hold it any longer and had diarrhoea in the chair. She was so distressed. I went yet again to the nurses station, where a group of nurses were chatting. One then came straight away, saying"what have you done?"

I can't believe what happened next. She was taken into the bathroom next to her bed, and literally stood naked while she was hosed down by a male nurse. He said it was the only way when patients cannot get into a bath, but this is a lady who was born in the Edwardian time. I cannot describe her huge distress. She died the next day.

Quite apart from the huge distress that will never leave me, surely more time is taken up to deal with cleaning up patients, changing beds etc.

I would just like to add that many nurses did work so hard. I think it was just (more than) a few bad apples let them down.