It’s incomprehensible that patients were allowed to lie in their excrement, and gut wrenching for families to later learn that many of the 90 deaths at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, caused by the infection clostridium difficile, could have been avoided.
It made me think about how we care for our elderly when they are vulnerable and most in need. Like an elderly man forced to eat cardboard because he was too poor to buy food.
Age Concern Norwich described this shocking case to their local paper when commenting on news that the number of pensioners going bankrupt has risen eight-fold over the last five year.
How much worse can it get?
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[...] It is left to Ellee Seymour of ProActive PR to provide us with a salutary reminder of what true poverty means in Pensioner eats cardboard to survive. [...]
What they should have done was left the country then showed back up as immigrants they would have been treated much better,…
Where’s the news item about immigrants having to eat cardboard? Bet that will be hard to find. Cos the govt would be scared to death to let it happen.
What ‘Mountjoy’ said. But there are obstacles to that and stupidly some stem from health and safety laws – apparently bleach is banned as a cleaning agent (the cheapest and most effective cleaning agent) as it is a harmful substance. Apparently people cannot be trusted to treat it appropriately as they cannot be relied upon to be able to read English and instructions cannot be printed in every possible language. Therefore the hospital can be sued. Isn’t that incredibly stupid? Legislation that causes many deaths ignored by governing elite (because it sounded good at the time) Is this a war of worthy words??
I have worked in care homes for the elderly and some are good, some ok but most are dire – the staff were negligent. It was not so much a matter of resources but of authority and consequences. Increasingly in this society I see the badly behaved suffer little or no consequences for their behaviour, whereas honest decent people with a conscience suffer greatly. This starts at the top and the example filters down. But I would add to Johnson falling on his sword, Brown should go. It’s hopefully just a matter of time.
These deaths occurred as a direct result of Government policy, as the managers at the Trust were scrambling to meet Government targets, and it is only right that the Health Secretary should fall on his sword rather than trying to blame the Trust alone.
Johnson should go now, and the Government should reform its disgraceful targets for hospitals. Hygiene and cleanliness should be mandatory, and not just something that happens if staff get time to do so.
I think it can get a lot worse for a lot more people….
Excellent post Ellee – I keep trying to remind the establishment, when I comment, that poverty and deprivation is alive and flourishing in this country. Just because children don’t go up chimneys it seems to have been forgotton. You remind us that the one’s hardest hit are the old and the sick.
On a lighter note I have sourced a picture of a much admired politician as you requested
Jeremy, I believe that New Labour does care, but seems to be incapable of making things work; pity. I agree 100% with your second sentence.
So much for “caring” NuLabour.
The way forward is to allow the third sector to organise help for the elderly. Age Concern, Help the Aged and so on have the know how but need more financial support.
Of for goodness sake folks get real .
Most of the troubles in our hospitals are caused by the patients whether it be by them or their disgusting families or friends attacking the doctors and nurses and everyone else in between or for the complete lack of any interest in when visiting either sticking to a few people , a short time in the day ( to give staff anychance of cleaning between visiting hours or even any attempt to use the handwashing facilities at the door of all the wards )
We are diabolical in our expectations of the health service because we want to be there at any hour of the day or night , in our droves .
When my small and very sick child was forever in hospital some 20 years ago I stayed with her throughout .
But the rest of the family had set times and set max numbers that we had to stick to.
No problem .
The less people the less extra germs , it makes sense .
As for people eating cardboard.
We have never had so many freebies for the old to claim .
Its sad if a few hopeless cases end up destitute but this is not the norm .
Keep these things in perspective .
For most of us , the old included , we are very much better off now than we have ever been .
Try reading Bleak house as I am doing again .
I’ve read aboout this myself. It is worse than third world conditions. Horrifying.
Hi Elle,
it is not just incredible that it can happen
it is the fact that it can happen in your face
The health service is so geared to protect itself from liability and cover their arses, that they have no time to wipe patient arses, or to treat patient complaints. How to deal with complaints? – but brush them under the carpet, literally.
When asked how many complaints there had been over a ten year period at Axxxxxxxxxxx hospital, the reply was ‘three’ – pull the other one – it has bells.
I was horrified to hear this story on the news this morning. I trust they will get their clean-up act into gear immediately.