The hospital care I had was appalling (From Malvern Gazette)

The hospital care I had was appalling

7:56am Friday 3rd February 2012 in News By Tarik Al Rasheed

A WOMAN from Malvern has slammed the care she received during a stay at Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Donna Stimson, of the Express Inn in Quest Hills Road, says she was treated appallingly during a three-day stay at the hospital after being admitted with a suspected case of appendicitis.

Miss Stimson, aged 32, was taken to the hospital at about 4pm on Tuesday, January 24, after feeling unwell and visiting her GP at Link End Surgery, in Malvern. But it was not until almost 11pm that evening that she was seen by a doctor and told she would be kept in overnight for observation.

Her mother Marilyn, landlady at the Express Inn, said that delay set the tone for her daughter’s 72- hour-stay.

“She was given morphine and declared nil by mouth, and was told that she would be going for a scan,” she said.

“But that never took place and there was no communication as to why it had not happened.

“It got to a point where it was Thursday, January 26, and she had not had anything to eat for more than two days.

“She was stuck in a room with no communication and by that point she was getting really worried and upset.

“She didn’t know whether the pains she was getting were hunger or whether there was something wrong with her.”

After Mrs Stimson demanded to know what was going on, Donna was finally given something light to eat on Thursday and had a scan the following day before being sent home.

“She was in that bed for all that time when she could have been at home, despite all the worries you hear about hospitals not having enough beds,” said Mrs Stimson.

Donna also maintains that during her stay she was promised injections and stockings to prevent the risk of blood clots, but that these did not materialise for almost 48 hours – and that even then she was almost given the same injection twice.

She said the experience has left her dreading ever having to go into the hospital again.“I think the treatment I received was pretty disgusting and I would not want to go back in there again unless I was at death’s door,” she said.

And Mrs Stimson fears others may be receiving similar treatment to her daughter.

“It was appalling that she could be treated like that. I am not blaming the nurses. I think they are doing the best they can.

“But I think that the system is absolutely disgusting and I wonder how many others have had a similar experience?”

A spokesperson for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are sorry Ms Stimson is unhappy with her care. We take all feedback very seriously and would encourage her to contact us directly so we can look into her concerns and respond directly to her.”