"Poor care + patient's comfort & needs not the..."

Anything else?

I visited an elderly friend on a daily basis for nine days. I was a witness to some of what North Stafford hospital reports highlighted in the media. It seems it is a disease in the NHS. Patients were ignored when requesting toileting, leading to incontinence, screaming with pain, poor pain management, dehydrated and unable to reach and have drinks independently and unavailable and unapproachable staff and nurses’ indifference and lack of support. Also senior nurses not actioning what they proposed such as review of painkillers as only on paracetamols for severe pain, and lack of regular pain killers when strong ones prescribed. Another omission was also failure to ensure dietician was involved (5days later) as patient had poor appetite and was not eating well with a risk of malnutrition, as agreed by a senior nurse. Food charts may have been completed but did not seem to have been analysed, so defeating the object of the exercise. Lack of patient’s oral hygiene and encouragement and ensuring of oral fluids to prevent urine infection other than relatives’ and friends’ visits. The quality of the staff was poor as well as the quantity and there seemed to be poor communication and interpersonal skills. Senior staff seeming to want to blame their subordinates when they are responsible for the failures due to the moral and the very poor quality of service delivered.