"Poor standards of nursing care at Weston General Hospital"

Where to start? My mother, a formidable and highly intelligent 88 year old, unfortunately, admitted to Weston General as a precaution. Unusually, we found her reluctant to use her buzzer (when it was within her reach!) to call for assistance and wondered why. We soon found out. Whenever the family approached staff members with concerns or questions, apart from two occasions, the responses varied between total disinterest and borderline hostility.

My mother died 10 days after admission and, for reasons that I will not go into here, we requested a copy of her medical records. These records merely added to our distress in that they showed:

Missed and late medication; Insufficiency of fluid intake; Failure to bleep doctors when required; Insufficient nutrition (we have been told since that high energy drinks may not have been prescribed because of the cost); Lack of cannula care; Cannula left in place for 48 hours too long; Failure to adequately assess mobility; Failure to reassess risk of malnutrition; Failure to address nausea; Failure to complete a full falls assessment; Failure to chase crucial test results; Failure to adequately manage diabetes (including a number of missed insulin doses).

I could go on - but not without discussing matters that would be just too personal for my mother.

Add to the above the fact that we had to address one problem or another at almost every visitng time and I am sure you will get the picture.

The interaction we witnessed between the nursing staff and my mother was, at best, patronising and, at worst, curt. Communication with the family was abysmal to say the least.

My sister and I have since, on two occasions, met with a Matron and the Ward Sister. I have to say, we encountered an attitude that almost mirrored that of their staff - patronising, evasive and hostile. We still do not know precisely what happened to our mother during her final hours. The medical records do not tell us and the staff either cannot or will not say.