NHS ‘fails to treat elderly with basic dignity’

Health service ombudsman Ann Abraham said she had uncovered a series of failings in 10 “harrowing” complaints she investigated.

She warned the cases were not isolated and the NHS needed to undergo a widespread change in attitudes to older people.

She said the complaints had revealed failures in the most “fundamental” aspects of care such as clean and comfortable surroundings, help with eating, drinking water provision and the ability to call someone who will respond.

There were also failures in pain control, discharge arrangements and communication with patients and relatives, the report said.

Half the people in the report did not consume adequate food or water in hospital, while others were left unwashed or in soiled or dirty clothes.

One woman described how her aunt, aged 88, had been taken to a care home in Tyneside by ambulance after a stay at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital.

She arrived at the care home “strapped to a stretcher”, soaked with urine, dressed in clothing that was not hers held up by paper clips, and accompanied by bags of dirty laundry, much of which was not her own.

“Underlying such acts of carelessness and neglect is a casual indifference to the dignity and welfare of older patients. That this should happen anywhere must cause concern – that it should take place in a setting intended to deliver care is indefensible,” Ms Abraham said.

In another case, an 82-year-old woman provisionally diagnosed with cancer by her GP began to suffer severe pain at Scunthorpe General Hospital. Her daughter said because she had not had a confirmed diagnosis by a specialist she was not given adequate pain relief.

Following further tests she was readmitted “disorientated and in extreme pain”. A plan was drawn up but it was five days before she received adequate relief.

Michelle Mitchell, charity director at Age UK, said: “The inhumane treatment of older people described in this report is sickening and should send shockwaves through the NHS and Government.

“It’s difficult to imagine us allowing any other group of people to suffer this indignity and neglect, yet we know this is just the tip of the iceberg – appalling treatment of older people in the health service is far too common.”

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: “The NHS should always get these basic patient needs right.

“There isn’t an on cost to this – it is an entitlement that every individual has a right to. Attitudes need to change – older patients need to be treated with respect and compassion, not as an inconvenience.”

Ms Abraham said many NHS staff provided a compassionate and considerate service to patients but this was not universal.

A spokesman for the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “This was a tragic case, and we would like to again offer our sincere apologies to the patient’s family. We have taken significant steps to improve our practice and minimise the risk of this happening again.

“These have included putting in place additional staff training in pain and symptom control, reviewing our internal investigation and reporting systems, and appointing an additional lung cancer nurse.”

Care services minister Paul Burstow said: “This report exposes the urgent need to update our NHS. We need a culture where poor practice is challenged and quality is the watchword.

“The coalition’s plans will free frontline staff to focus on what matters most to patients and carers.”