Healthcare Nightmare

A grandmother died in a filthy and depressing NHS ward which 'removed her rights to dignity', a coroner ruled yesterday.

Margot Kennedy, 78, was not properly washed for six weeks before her death. Nurses at Leicester General Hospital left her in sheets covered with faeces and doctors failed to tackle her refusal to eat as she rapidly lost weight, it was claimed. Her daughters told an inquest that they were forced to 'fight the system' in an attempt to save their mother, but in the end she simply lost the will to live.

Mrs Kennedy, a a retired hosiery worker from Groby, Leicestershire, had a stroke in January last year but remained lucid and independent, the Leicester hearing was told. She was admitted to hospital in March with mild pneumonia and dehydration, and from then on her physical and mental health deteriorated, her family said. Her daughters said they were 'fobbed off' by staff and considered to be a nuisance.

Jenny Kennedy, 53, a solicitor from London, said nurses made it clear that the four sisters were not welcome outside strict visiting hours, despite the family driving hundreds of miles to visit regularly. She described how nurses left her mother lying facing a blank wall in a single room after taking away her television without warning. Mrs Kennedy's fingernails were often caked with feces, she added. The widow turned down the hospital food, possibly due to mental health problems, but was not given a psychiatric assessment.

Miss Kennedy said: 'They had just given her up. She was a nuisance.' The sisters wanted to get their mother out of the hospital, and tried to see a consultant, but an appointment was canceled at the last minute.

Rene Kennedy, 57, told the court: 'I never knew we would have to fight the system to get our mother the essential dignity she was entitled to when she had worked her whole life. 'I believe she ceased to want to exist. I wouldn't have wanted to exist either in the environment where she was.'

The ward sister responsible for Mrs Kennedy admitted 'appalling' standards of care, including leaving Mrs Kennedy in bed for a month. Emma Johns told the inquest: 'There is no excuse for it. At the time we were short-staffed. I was probably spreading myself far too thinly.' Junior doctor Jonathan McClure admitted that he decided not to see his 'very poorly' patient over a busy May bank holiday weekend, despite being told by senior doctors to monitor her potassium levels.

These were dangerously low when the pensioner suffered a cardiac arrest and died days later on May 5. Dr McClure said: 'During bank holiday weekends many patients won't see a doctor. I wish I had seen Mrs Kennedy but I didn't.' Returning an open verdict, coroner Catherine Mason said: 'I can't say [the treatment] directly caused or contributed to her death but it most certainly did cause distress to Mrs Kennedy and her family. It left her in a position where her rights to dignity were removed.'

A spokesman from the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust apologised, saying: 'We have put a plan into action to prevent these issues from happening again.' The Daily Mail has consistently highlighted the plight of patients as part of its Dignity for the Elderly campaign.

Read more HERE.

This is deplorable, regardless of what country it happens in. Staff and Doctors responsible should be charged, but we all know that will likely not happen.

My question is this, is this just a case of neglect, or is this type of thing a symptom of the disease called Universal Healthcare or Socialized Medicine? Is this what patients in the U.S. have to look forward to now that European Style Healthcare has been forced upon us?

God Help us all.....