"My late step-father and his experience at Worcester hospital"

My father died in 2011. He lived in his own flat which was supported by a warden. In the winter of 2010 he was rushed to hospital where he stayed for a few days and discharged and sent back to his home. In my opinion, he was discharged too early and was readmitted. In fact he went to Worcester hospital five times in eight weeks. He suffered from strokes but since the fall the strokes became more frequent. Every time he was admitted to hospital he was assessed at my request by hospital social workers. Each time he got discharged from hospital, they issued him with a special stick so that he could pick things up without bending down. He ended up with three of those sticks.

My sister visited him every day and helped him to shop. He usually cooked for himself. But after each stroke he was left feeling weaker and weaker until he was admitted to hospital again. We spoke to another social worker and by this time my sister was at breaking point. We were allocated a new social worker who conducted another assessment. At first she said that she didn't think that dad could get any additional support because there was no money as a result of cuts in local authority spending. It felt no one seemed to care. Eventually we had a meeting and agreed to find dad a rest home. He stayed at the Shrubbery nursing home in Kidderminster where he was well looked after until he passed away.