Massing stories of hospital woe
A MEMber of an NHS efficiency group is collecting stories about hospital treatment so she can hold health chiefs more accountable.
Margaret Taylor says many people who have had bad experiences in hospitals daren’t complain as they fear it may affect any future care they receive.
Since the closure of Bishop Auckland Accident and Emergency department, Mrs Taylor is even more determined to find out how the health service is coping with the change. She said her early findings are cause for concern.
Mrs Taylor, from Coundon, who is a member of a subcommittee of the newly formed Integrated care Organisation (ICO), said: “I worked for the health service 53 years ago and it seems as though the same problem exists, namely the answer to any problem is to hire another manager.
“People are afraid to complain. I had one lady whose husband was admitted to Darlington memorial hospital for a broken leg and after three days there he still hadn’t been washed. When the hospital was asked about it, they just said it simply couldn’t happen but why would this lady make it up?
“There is this attitude that only the managers know best but they are number crunchers. I’m sure they are all very nice people but they are just hell-bent on doing their thing. Nobody has considered the human cost.
“They say it is all going well but according to the concerns I have heard it isn’t. From the outside the system looks very chaotic. This year they had a budget of about £1.1bn, five per cent of which was to pay for the Primary Care Trust.
“It doesn’t provide treatment, it is simply for administration, how can you justify spending £50m on it?”
Mrs Taylor also said she believed Darlington was more “frenzied” since the extra patients from Bishop Auckland were sent there and said there was greater risk of cross contamination from ‘hot bedding’ (an emphasis on greater bed turnover). She said: “The fact they have opened a departure lounge where people wait to be taken home shows the beds shortage.
“Hot-bedding leads to cross-contamination because there isn’t enough time to clean everything. That’s not a criticism of the staff, it’s just the pressure they are under.
“The only group people can complain to is the Patient Advices and Liaison Service (Pals) which is part of the NHS. There is a fear that if you complain your future healthcare could suffer and for staff it could lead to them losing their jobs. I will deal with all stories with the strictest confidence, I just think it’s important we hold these people to account.”
Marion Dilley, Associate Director of Nursing at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said: “There is no reason for people to fear making a complaint and we are sorry if some patients feel this has not been the case.
“We welcome all patient feedback and take it very seriously. In addition to the Trust’s PALS service, there are also two independent networks ‘LINKs’ operating in Durham and Darlington where the public can feedback.
“The trust has had a discharge lounge for several years now. Most trusts have them and they are regarded as good practice.”
To contact Margaret and tell her your experiences, both positive and negative, telephone 01388 601640, or write to her at 1 Church Street, Coundon, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14 8PJ.
n Criticism as taxis paid to shuttle patients’ records between hospital sites... page 3