"Elderley Patients not needed here!"

Basildon Hospital is a vast hospital with many staff and departments, however the standard of care is worrying.

Elderly care is lacking patience, compassion but most of all quality care. Patients are delivered food and not aware so it gets taken away untouched, in effect the patient is not being monitored at a very base level, are they getting food and eating / drinking.

Is it dementia or delirium? Someone who is confused but makes jokes, knows where they are and only gets confused because of an infection, in particular UTI which are well documented to cause delirium, or blood poisoning is completely different to Dementia but do doctors know the difference?

A minor infection escalated to sepsis and blood poisoning and was life threatening yet low priority to staff. Anaphylaxis, another serious emergency which can lead to death, staff caring for patients could not spot it!

This hospital has to be the worst I have come across, the complaints procedure is poor, the CEO does not respond to letters of complaint and patients fall and are left lying on the floor without immediate help due to poor staff levels.

Is this the level of care we should expect from a hospital, the patient could be you, your brother, sister, mother, daughter or wife, the should expect exceptional care and medical / surgical treatment, irrespective of age, indeed the elderly have supported the NHS from the beginning, just because they are elderly they should not be treated any differently because of age, they deserve the best just the same as a 18 year old patient.

Basildon Hospital - Treat patient equally irrespective of ability / disability, gender, religion, sex, age or ethnicity if they are entitled to treatment from the NHS they should get it, immediately and without prejudice.

How would you like your family member to be treated? Patients should be treated with the same respect and dignity you would give to your mother or father. The elderly are people too!