"Do not leave your elderly here"

My dad with dementia was treated in A&E as a stroke risk. Nurses were uninvolved and cold, doctors were good. He was admitted to Emergency Ward Zone B. Having been told we cld not stay with him & reassured he would showered & be cared for we were appalled to find him next day slumped in a gown, confused, frightened, unclean and completely confused. His state of mind had deteriorated 100% & we were told he had toileted all over the floor several times & they saw no point in putting him in his clothes. We were told he had been uncooperative and thy had been unable to do any tests. After negotiations with doctors (who at first were also cold and unhelpful, I appreciate busy) we agreed they cld keep him one more night but that we would stay with him. No treatment was being given, just observations. (bearing in mind these only started once we got there to reassure and help him understand). Family stayed in rotas, I arrived with bathing materials but was told to "ask night staff" and then told yes they would help me get him up and allow me some water to bathe him only to have zero help and lights then turned off. Dad remained in the same clothes, unwashed, unchanged and unclean. His state of mind deterioated within hours, he was totally changed, everything I feared would happen happened and the nursing staff appeared cold, uninterested and dare I say lazy. We were told we could stay if we were quiet, we tried our very best but one female nurse was loudly moaning about a patient in the middle of the ward and every person who spoke to my dad hollered at him.

I get the NHS staff are overworked, I'm sure doctors & nurses work crazy hours and I am truly grateful for the things they get right. Here is a massive area for improvement. Don't put dementia sufferers & elderly in Emergency wards. You literally broke my parent in one night. I took him home looking and smelling like a poor tramp. I was mortified by the state of him. Within an hour of being home he was clean, coherent, fed, watered and fixed up with carers. The staff in hospital were almost dismissive of my plan to care for him at home with the aid of response teams but I can say the staff so far on these teams have been amazing. They have treated my parent with dignity and care and I know that he will get better.

My advice to anyone - do not leave your elderly folk particularly dementia sufferers on the Emergency Ward at Worthing. There is no way on earth they are fit to offer any kind of acceptable care. Stay with them and insist on basic care even if you just do it yourself, just don't leave them.

I am sure the wards themselves are better once they are in but these holding wards are just not the place for the infirm and vulnerable. Please please also train your staff with basic care of dementia. we're all still learning but you certainly don't ignore/patronise them & leave them dirty without informing family who can help. Appalled.