"Lack of care"

A very very good friend who is like family to me was rushed in after falling from a ladder, his wife said the care he received while in A&E was amazing, staff were kind & reassuring. He was blue lighted to a hospital in Nottingham due to the extent of his injuries, he wasn't expected to survive but the trauma team were amazing at all times.

Unfortunately after nearly 2 weeks he was brought back to Pilgrim hospital in Boston, where he was admitted to the orthopaedic ward. Sadly this is where is where it went wrong. I have to say a couple of the nurses were lovely, as were the physios & occupational health but the general care on the ward was nothing more than appalling. My dear friend lost 3 & half stone in 3 weeks as they would leave food out of reach. He couldn't get out of bed due to his injuries & whenever he pressed the bell someone would come in the side room he was in & say can you reset the bell & we will be with you in a minute. 25 minutes later still nothing. This happened 3 times while I was there, then I said no I'm not resetting it until he is sorted. 

Despite our worries over his weight they didn't seem to document anything. When his wife went to try and sort an issue out with the staff member in charge, a short while later a couple of nurses or care assistants came over to the bed (he was now in a ward) & told his wife they'd heard she'd been complaining again, leaving her feeling intimidated.

This is not acceptable, his wife was having to spend 10 hours a day in the hospital to ensure her husband was eating & drinking. Despite them saying he needed to drink more they still never kept any logs of what was drunk & again they would often leave the trolley so far away.  

He was in there for 3 & half weeks following his stay in Nottingham before he was transferred to a rehabilitation unit. During that time he was very neglected in my opinion. His wife went to help him have a wash in the bed after she arrived at lunchtime due to an appointment & he hadn't had a wash or anything & she found a plaster stuck on his back that had stitches attached from where he had had a drain in while in Nottingham. She then went to the cupboard to restock his toiletries to see the toothbrush hadn't been used as no one had helped him clean his teeth for 3 weeks. This man had very severe injuries & was not allowed to get out of bed & was on very strong pain relief so the staff must have known he couldn't do anything for himself. 

They were asked 4 times if they would check for a urine infection as things didn't look right but it took the physios asking because his wife was ignored. The physios said they had noted that his wife had asked previously. 

This couple are like parents to me & it was truly heart-breaking to see the distress they were both in, of course it's distressing when your husband is in hospital & especially after such a trauma but the care on the ward was disgusting. I cannot say all staff were bad as there were a couple that were very good, mainly the more senior staff & physios but many of the regular staff were a disgrace.  

Staff I am referring to need to treat each patient as an individual & look at the needs of that patient, to leave a patient without reach to fluids & food is pure neglect in my opinion.