Make Sure The NHS Care For Your Loved Ones
You will have to monitor hospital staff to ensure that they do.
‘Hungry to Be Heard’ campaign is a
Patients Association campaign. Until a few months ago I had never heard of this.
I would like to tell you about the experiences concerning my mother who passed
away on Friday 27 July at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital
in Gateshead. She was 84 years old and
suffered from dementia.
Mum spent four periods of time in this
hospital in less than two years. She was first admitted on 11th October 2010 following a fall at home.
As this was a Sunday we called out the out of hours team who told us that mum
had a Unitary tract infection even though she did not display any of the usual
symptoms and she said that she felt well. She was also unable to stand. Her
left leg had gone all weak and floppy. The nurse who attended advised us to have
mum admitted to hospital to be checked over.
After investigation by the accident and
emergency staff she was admitted to Ward 2. During the next few days her
infection got worse and she was treated with antibiotics intravenously. During
the course of the next week she got better and was transferred to Ward 22 for
investigation into the cause of her fall and the damage to her leg. It turned
out that she had a fracture to her pelvis. During her stay on Ward 2 she ate
very little because of a loss of appetite caused by the infection. She was also
diagnosed with a mild form of vascular dementia.
She stayed on ward 22 until 21st December. I visited her every day.
During this time mum lost a considerable amount of weight and little attempt
was made by the nursing to feed her. On many occasions I took yogurts, mousse
and various other deserts into hospital and fed her myself. On one occasion,
one of the nurses made a comment that she had not had any dinner today. I
pointed to the plastic dish containing mum’s dentures that were on the top of
the bedside cabinet. I told the nurse that I was not surprised that mum
couldn’t eat her food as she had no teeth in. I asked the nurse for some soup
for mum and she drank two beakers of chicken soup, one straight after the other.
Throughout mum’s stay in hospital, our
family were becoming increasingly concerned about her lack of appetite and the
inability of the staff to feed her properly. One day I spoke to one of the
doctors and asked what could be done. The doctor prescribed the food supplement
Fortisip.
Mum was discharged from hospital on 21st December 2010 and still had next to no
appetite. She was very thin. During the next few months I fed her small amounts
of pureed foods such as casseroles, stew and soups with bread blended into it.
She continued to be prescribed Fortisip. Because her mouth had shrunk while in
hospital, her dentures no longer fitted her and they were uncomfortable for her
to wear. She refused to have them in her mouth for more than a few seconds. I
contacted the community dental service and they attempted to make her teeth a
better fit but to no avail. They were still too uncomfortable for her.
Eventually she put on a little wait and
became stronger. In July 2011 the UTI returned and she was admitted to hospital
again on 5th July.
During this time I visited her each day and tried to get her to eat at least a
small amount. One of the other patients remarked to me that the only time she
ate anything was when I gave it to her. From the outset I explained to the
staff that mum could only eat pureed foods and soups. This did not stop them
from bringing her a plate full of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for her
Sunday lunch. Luckily I was there with her when this happened and I was able to
ask for her to be given something else to eat. She was given minced beef and
mashed potato which I fed her with. She was discharged on 12th July.
During the following months mum put on a
bit of weight and by November 2011 her weight stood at about 6.1/2 stone. She
had been nine or ten stone before her first admission to hospital. A visit by
the dietician in February 2012 revealed that she was 7.1/2 stone then.
The UTI returned in April 2012 and she
spent a week in hospital. Again, I visited her each day and tried to get her to
eat as much as I could. She came home on 26th April.
On Wednesday18th July mum displayed the symptoms of the
UTI again. I called the doctor who sent a prescription for antibiotics. Mum’s
condition worsened during the afternoon so I rang 999 and she was taken to
hospital. By Saturday 21st mum
had recovered and there was talk of her being discharged on the Monday. The
previous day, Friday, I noticed that mum’s bedside trolley containing her water
jug and beaker were far too far away for her to reach. I moved the trolley so
that she could reach the water. On the Saturday I brought her a holder that
clipped onto the side of the bed to hold her water beaker.
I visited mum on eight consecutive days
during this stay in hospital. On seven of those days, when I arrived to see her
she was unable to reach her water. On one occasion I pointed this out to the
staff nurse. She was more concerned about mum not eating and asked me to feed
her. I told the nurse that of course I would feed mum but I was concerned about
the unavailability of drinking water. The nurse agreed that it was not a good
state of affairs. On another occasion, two nurses came to mum’s cubicle to
reposition her. When I was allowed back into the cubicle I noticed that the
water beaker and its holder were missing. I followed the nurses along the
corridor and asked them where mum’s water was. They told me ‘we left it on the
window sill behind the curtain’.
On Monday 23rd July when I visited mum I was told
that she would be going home the following day. This was cancelled because on
the Tuesday there was a delay in getting her medication ready in time to book
an ambulance to take her home. On Wednesday her discharge was cancelled because
there were concerns that her oxygen level was too low.
When I visited mum on Thursday 26th the doctor told me that the UTI may
have affected mum’s kidneys and that as she was 84 I should be prepared to
accept that next time she may not recover. There had also been concerns that
the infection had spread to her lungs and this was what was causing the
breathlessness. She would be coming home the following day.
At 6.30 in the morning of Friday 27 I
received a phone call telling me that my mum had passed way in her sleep.
I have no reason to know if the medical attention given
to mum was appropriate but surely everyone must realise that a readily
available supply of water is vital especially when the patient is recovering
from a urine infection. What is it that makes people so unable to provide the
absolute basics, food and drink to patients in a hospital? Staff shortages and
cutbacks may be a factor but to neglect patients while managing to find the
time to discuss holiday entitlements is unacceptable.
Following an official complaint I received a letter from the
hospital. I responded to several of the points contained in the letter. Please click here.
