Make Sure The NHS Care For Your Loved Ones

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 11^th 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 21^st 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 21^st 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 5^th 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 12^th 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 26^th April.

On Wednesday18^th 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 21^st 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 23^rd 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 26^th 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.