"Lack of care in feeding older people at Basildon Hospital"

My father was taken into hospital on xmas eve with breathing problems, for a few days. I am very concerned about the things I saw whilst visiting him.

There was an 87yr old gentleman opposite my father who was clearly very confused. He asked for a cup of tea which he was given but could not reach, he kept calling out but was ignored. I helped him to have his drink.

Later the lady with the drinks trolley asked what he would like to drink and he asked for hot milk which she gave him in a glass even though he had two empty feeding cups with lids on his tray. She warned him that it was very hot. As soon as she walked away he was trying to pull the beaker towards him which if he had succeeded would have burnt him. My brother and myself went to him and tipped the hot milk into his beaker with a lid and cooled it down with some of his cold water.

My father told me of another gentleman that was given a meal on his tray. The gentleman could not manage and a nurse was told. By this time the meal was cold and the nurse took it and reheated it. She fed him a couple of spoonfuls and then she was called away so he got no more.

After all the bad press about people starving and suffering dehydration it is obvious nothing has changed.