"Braxted Ward thank god mum only had to spend 2..."

Where to start? Awful experience. Mum was moved to this ward from A & E on Wednesday. My sister visited Wednesday and I visited Thursday. Mum was still in the same nightie she was in when she went to A and E. She had not been washed that day or had her hair washed or teeth brushed. She is frail and has vascular dementia but can with help walk to the bathroom. Her clothes and a clean towel had been laid at the end of the bed but had obviously been forgotten about as the clothes had fallen down the end of the bed. I was there at 2pm. Mum, usually calm and happy was very confused and tearful. My brother and I went to get an update. There were several people about but it was like we were invisible. We finally got someone’s attention and waited to see a Dr who couldn’t really tell us much as he hadn’t been the one who had seen mum. I said politely that mum hadn’t been washed and a very rude nurse almost shouted that she could assure me she had.

When I asked why the towel hadn’t been used and her toothbrush was dry she had no explanation for that! When my sons visited that evening they found my mum in a distressed state with her knickers round her ankles!!!! They pulled the curtain round her and went to find a nurse. Dignity?! I don’t think so! My son said while waiting to be buzzed out he saw a nurse behind a curtain on her mobile phone and a clearly confused man was going into a drawer on her trolley and got a tube of something and was taking the lid off! He then had to alert the nurse to this happening. My sister complained to the sister in charge on the Friday who apologised and said the nursing staff had clearly taken advantage of the fact that there had been no senior nurse on duty on the Thursday but didn’t come back later with feedback and say she had investigated etc

We are seriously considering putting in an official complaint. Mum has family to fight her cause but my heart breaks for the poor people who have no family to do so.

I know that people with dementia take a step back when they are out of their normal environment but Mum is still tearful days later.