|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
|
|
Brian's Story Glan Clywd Hospital is a small hospital that lies in North Wales. This piece is written by the wonderful Mrs Parsons who told us “It all comes back to nurses who should have respect and compassion for their patients”. It wasn’t about money or suing the hospital, Mrs Parson’s had just wanted her husband to have his basic rights. The right to be taken care of humanely by nursing staff. She tells us the story of her husband treatment by the nurses
at Glan Clywd Hospital. The standard of care given to Brian Parsons can
only be described as inhumane. Does any patient deserve to be treated
in this manner when admitted in the NHS? For us, the question surrounds
the negligent nursing care, the real cause of death , the lack of a post
mortem and the fact that the hospital has been less than transparent about
the impact of the fall and the reasons he died on the The Early Years
We move to Wales in December 2000 and his indigestion pains continued. Eventually in January 2003 Brian went to see the doctor who subsequently sent him for tests straight away – cancer of oesophagus was diagnosed and the best place to have the operation would be Broadgreen Hospital – Liverpool. Broadgreen Hospital Liverpool and the good standard of care He was given a few sessions of chemotherapy to apparently enhance the chances of a successful operation. Brian was admitted to Broadgreen Hospital Liverpool on Tuesday 22nd April 2003 where he ended up having 3 operations in two weeks. The first operation took one hour longer than it should have as they had problems inflating the lung (which had to be deflated during the operation). This was done because the lung was tough and scarred from pleurisy. This had occurred when Brian was young. Breathing problems subsequently developed. Brian was a 16 stone man gradually going down to half that weight. He could not keep anything down, not even Ensure in the end. He was in and out of Broadgreen for the rest of year. The nursing staff and doctors at Broadgreen were wonderful. The nutrition side was not great, Brian could not take solid foods but nothing special was ordered to be given. The problem came when in August 2003 Brian was admitted to Glan Clwyd Hospital and kept there rather than being driven to Liverpool. Though at least it was easier and nearer for me to visit everyday. That is where poor Brian ended his days dying on the 7th September 2003. I love Brian so much and miss him more than anything. Ward 11 Glan Clywd Hospital North Wales Exposed. The enclosed writings show went on at Ward 11 Glan Clywd North Wales, I have so much anger and hate for this hospital staff. This was also part of my complaint to the hospital. Mrs Parson’s concerns 1. Last admission to hospital on the 18th August 2003 to Glan Clwyd. He was not able to eat or keep anything much down. With this knowledge it cannot be understood why it took two weeks before actually having a tube to feed, In the meantime more weight was lost. 2. Why wasn’t Brian given showers by nurses? I had to shower him myself. He could be stubborn but surely cleanliness is paramount. I also showered him at home on the afternoon before returning him to the hospital. 3. I had to dispose of urine bottles he’d used on my visits and bring him clean ones. 4. Apparently one time he messed his pyjamas and his bed. He was taken into the shower and toilets and made to clean himself. It was hard enough for him to pull himself up the bed let alone have to try and clean himself (even I had to wipe his bottom at times because he could not manage) and his dirty pyjama bottoms were left hanging on the toilet door ALL day. How humiliating. I found them there on my evening visit when I thought I would try to find them and walking into the gents, I saw them. 5. I personally had to inform hospital staff of Brian’s hallucinating which was happening on the 4th and 5th September, How come no one noticed? 6. Night of the 5/6th 2 am Brian apparently fell outside the toilet/showers – obviously he had got the strength from somewhere to walk that far from his bed by the window. Was he trying to get attention from staff by pulling the cord and no one came so he somehow got up. 7. After the fall he was put into the side wardroom but was not able to even acknowledge anyone. Also I was under the impression, if one dies within 48 house of a fall that an autopsy would automatically have taken place. One was not done and it is wondered why not. 8. It was noted that he was confused. I suppose confusion would come about after hitting one’s head hard. Up to the time of the fall he was able to hold conversation. 9. A hospital worker was heard to say to another whilst walking passed the bays “Its like Friday 13th in here today”. Not a nice thing to hear when visiting sick relatives. Comments like that surely have a time and a place to be said not in earshot of visitors and patients. Hospital’s Response to the above Hospital Response Page 1 (PDF) What you have read should not happen to anyone and talking to others it seems things have not changed much at the hospital. It is time that nursing staff of today were also taught compassion towards patients ( infact it should be inborn in those wanting to do a nursing career). The pay isn’t bad and I imagine that I am not the only person that gets annoyed at statements like “We don’t get enough money for the work we are expected to do”. When one goes for interviews one is told remuneration – if its not enough then don’t bother taking the job and then complaining and not doing the job in full hence making people suffer. I know they only admitted and apologised for mistreating Brian because I said I wasn’t interested in their money or to sue. All I wanted was for Brian to have been treated with feeling but that did not happen. An interesting excerpt from Ms Parson’s letter. To Mrs Hutt ( hospital) “All we keep hearing from you is that waiting time for patients will get shorter, But I would say that there are other very important issues too. For instance, perhaps when interviewing nurses you could be a bit more stringent with who is being interviewed, not only should they know their job but also compassion should be a very important issue. Nursing seems to have changed so much from a vocation to “just a job”. My husband died in hospital 7th September 2003 – I had written a few letters of complaint and had two meetings. The first was “A TOTAL FARCE” so a second was set up where I was given a verbal apology and they agreed they had failed him. This should not happen and they obviously apologised and admitted failing him because I had told them I wasn’t out to sue. Nobody should be neglected and humiliated like this in hospital. With the operation he had he wasn’t supposed to die but in the end it seemed inevitable and no one is blaming the hospital for his death – just the way he was treated." Even nurse friends who have been in the job for many many years and just say they are glad to be getting out, I’m sure I would feel the same. I can’t say the actions of the doctors were better. My husband was treated better in Liverpool than in North Wales Hospital he was in for the last 2-3 weeks.
|
|
|
|
|
[Home] [NHS Exposed] [Patients] [Health Workers] [NHS in Crisis] [Legal Issues] [Media] [Helpdesk] [Public Views] All copyright remains with original authors unless otherwise stated. |
For well
over 20 years Brian suffered from a 