"Appropriate action is being sort for..."

I am so very sorry for your father's extremely poor experience in our care. I appreciate that this response is very late (we have only just recently introduced a process for reviewing and responding to postings) but please be assured that even after such a period of time your experience and your feedback is valuable to us.

The standards you described fall way below what we expect of our services and I would like to apologise sincerely for your experience. You will be aware that Pilgrim Hospital had some significiant challenges at the time of your fathers admission; I am pleased to be able to tell you that there have been significiant improvements and services have moved on considerably over the last 12 months; we have introduced a number of measures and checks to ensure the care we provide meets the standards we expect.

We also have a new stroke unit and defined stroke pathway and standards of care and the issues you have described are all closely monitored; for example hydration and meals, mobility plans and manual handling.

I acknowledge that this is all to late in relation to your fathers experience (and yours too as a worried daughter) and I am very sorry. Thank you for taking the time to tell us your story - good and bad experiences are important to us in ensuring we continuously learn and improve.

Hi

The Stroke Information Service department for the Stroke Association has recently noticed your post. Like Pilgrim Hospital, we have just started to review and respond to posts on this website. We are sorry to hear of your father’s stroke and the concerns that this has raised. I noticed that the hospital has been in contact with you, I hope it was reassuring to read that improvements in stroke care are being made and your feedback is helpful as it highlights areas where the hospital can improve.

The Stroke Association provides support services to people affected by stroke. We have community services that provide information, advice and emotional support to the whole family and communication services to help people with speech problems after stroke. These services are free and can make a big difference to families affected by stroke.

http://www.stroke.org.uk/support/our-life-after-stroke-services

We also have peer support groups, factsheets and leaflets all about stroke and a helpline that gives advice on all matters relating to stroke.

http://www.stroke.org.uk/support/helpline

http://www.stroke.org.uk/support/clubs-and-groups

http://www.stroke.org.uk/information/resource-library

If you would like to learn more about us and what we have to offer in your area please call us on 0303 303 3100.

Yours sincerely

Louise Sherlock

Stroke Information Service

info@stroke.org.uk

Stroke Association staff are not medically trained and the information provided does not replace information given to you by your own healthcare provider.

We would like to hold your details so that we can send you information about the work of Stroke Association. If you would like us to keep in touch please email subscribe@stroke.org.uk with your contact details.

If you would like to make a donation to Stroke Association, you can do so on our website at http://www.stroke.org.uk/donate/make_a_donation.html

All donations are gratefully received. Please do not forget to "Gift Aid" your donation if you are a UK tax payer.