"Constant noise on the ward"

Keeping people awake for days and nights is a form of torture, they say. My husband has just come out of hospital. He was at risk of falls and was put into a bed next to a man with a similar risk. This man had some mental problems which meant that he sang and shouted at the top of his voice for the whole time, apart from a couple of hours, that my husband was next to him.

The singing and shouting was so loud, that it could be heard outside as I walked towards the building, even though the ward was three floors up.

My husband's speech is soft and not easy to understand, but it would have made no difference if he was able to speak clearly, there was no chance of hearing what he said. The man in the next bed gave full and raucous renderings of WW1 songs, including vulgar and swear words. I became very stressed that my husband's recovery, ( he had pneumonia ), would be compromised, not to mention the recovery of the other four patients on the ward.

My son, who travelled for over two hours to see my husband, complained to the staff that he had only heard one sentence that he had said, due to the singing and shouting from the next bed.

My in- laws complained to me, that throughout their visit, they were regaled with bawdy songs and could not speak to my husband, or hear him because of the din.

I also complained, and was told that nothing could be done.

It was only when I mentioned social media, that I was taken into a room to see the matron who said that the man had rights and they could do nothing.

What about the rights of the other patients?

My husband was in the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield. This was the second ward he was in. In the first ward, he was next to a man who shouted the same sentences out at the top of his voice, again and again. Was my husband unlucky or is this a common occurrence?