When great-grandmother Maureen Runciman went to hospital she expected to be treated with dignity and respect.
Instead she claims she was let down every step of the way.
Mrs Runciman, 78, was admitted to Stepping Hill in Stockport by ambulance on Friday – and told the M.E.N. she was left distressed by her five day stay.
The hospital say early investigations do not match Mrs Runciman's version of her stay in Stepping Hill, but they want to speak to her so they can investigate further.
Mrs Runciman claims her bedpan was not emptied for three days, says her sheets were not changed until hours before she was due to go home and that her calls for help were left unanswered.
The retired office worker, who has a chronic lung disorder, was taken to hospital suffering from severe constipation. She was first admitted to ward C3 and transferred to a side ward off ward B6 two days later.
Mrs Runciman, who has three children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, says she verbally complained about the standard of care to a member of nursing staff – and claims the worker told her to write to chief executive Dr Chris Burke and contact the M.E.N.
She said: “There was a lack of staff – some days I didn't get my medication until 11.30am and I normally have it by 8am.
“There didn't seem to be any organisation whatsoever. There seemed to be a lot of agency staff – it was just confusing.
“I had a commode and it wasn't emptied for three days. I was pressing my buzzer but there didn't seem to be any staff to help. I was upset they didn't change my bedding until the last day.
“I thought the place was making me sicker. I wanted to go home – I wasn't very happy. The staff were doing their jobs but I felt they were stretched. Standards of care? There's no standards of care anymore.”
Mrs Runciman, from Bredbury, says she has spent a lot of time at the hospital being treated for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a severe lung disorder. Her partner Jack, 83, died at Stepping Hill in January but she says she has never experienced such 'poor' care until now.
Her son Philip Runciman, 44, from Dukinfield, added: “My mum doesn't generally complain. She was very upset when I picked her up from the hospital.
“She has been in and out of Stepping Hill a lot. She's never really had a problem until this time.
“I visited her on Sunday – she wanted a drink and we asked a nurse for a glass of water. Twenty five minutes later it hadn't arrived so I went and grabbed someone else – they told me to get one from the kitchen.
“It just seemed like mum was left on one side. To me, this is an issue that needs to be highlighted.”
Last night, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stepping Hill, said: “We are very upset to hear about Mrs Runciman's experience at our hospital which the newspaper has informed us about.
“Our early investigations into her care do not correlate with her complaints and we are therefore anxious to speak to Mrs Runciman so that we can fully investigate matters.
“We are always keen to have feedback from patients so that we can ensure the highest quality care is provided at all times.”
Stepping Hill was one of five hospitals in Greater Manchester deemed to be failing on the care of the elderly in a report published yesterday.
The study, from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), found 'moderate' concerns about the nutrition provided, along with 'minor' concerns on dignity after a spot check inspection earlier in the year.
The CQC found half of all NHS hospitals in England are failing to provide all-round good nutrition to elderly patients while 40 per cent do not offer dignified care.
source: menmedia.co.uk
