"Derriford Hospital - Poor standard of care of the elderly"

My mother, who is 90, very hard of hearing, suffers from limited vision and is in the early stages of dementure has now had two stays in Derriford Hospital, Plymouth. The medical/surgical treatment she received during her first stay was good. During her second 24hr stay for observation not only did she receive no medical attention she was not even tested/examined for the condition for which she was referred.

During both her stays no account was taken of her poor hearing and bad eyesight. Her care was so poor that if I had not been there during meal times she would not even have eaten. Meals were announced by someone standing at the foot of her bed or at the door to her cubicle and asking in a broad Plymouth accent (which she would not understand even if she could hear properly) if she wanted any dinner/tea or whatever. Her lack of reaction would mean that she either got nothing or a plate of whatever the main meal was, was left by her bed. She would not even realise that this was her meal unless someone was there to tell her what it was.

Her most recent discharge note claims that she is "eating and drinking" and that she is "mobilising well with her zimmer frame"

As she had difficulty swallowing when she went into hospital and still has difficulty swallowing I know she did not eat anything for the 24hrs she was in hospital. She also had difficulty moving with her frame before her stay in hospital and still has, so I very much doubt that she was "mobilising well" during her stay.

None of this gives me any confidence in the care given in Derriford.