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Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

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Care and compassion?

Report of the Health Service Ombudsman on ten investigations into NHS care of older people

‘Care and compassion are what matter most’ NHS Constitution ‘A shabby, sad end to my poor wife’s life’ Read Mr & Mrs J's story
‘We respond with humanity and kindness to each person’s pain’ NHS Constitution ‘His tongue was like a piece of dried leather’ Read Mr D’s story
‘We do not wait to be asked because we care’ NHS Constitution ‘There was a lack of concern and sympathy towards patients … and the family’ Read Mrs R's story
‘Providing a comprehensive service’ NHS Constitution ‘I am concerned that an otherwise healthy elderly lady was allowed to deteriorate so quickly’ Read Mrs Y's story
‘High-quality care focused on patient experience’ NHS Constitution ‘Little attempt was made to ascertain that she … fully understood her situation’ Read Mrs H’s story
‘We find time for those we serve and work alongside’ NHS Constitution ‘Staff decided that we had been given as much time as we were allowed’ Read Mr C's story
‘Everyone counts’ NHS Constitution ‘Probably as good as he is going to get’ Read Mr W's story
‘Aspiring to the highest standards of excellence’ NHS Constitution ‘I just feel let down by the system’ Read Mrs G’s story
‘We value each person as an individual’ NHS Constitution ‘They took away every last ounce of dignity my husband had left’ Read Mr L’s story
‘Reflecting the needs of patients, families and carers’ NHS Constitution ‘Our mother continued to suffer for too long’ Read Mrs N’s story

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Welcome

I have collated this report because of the common experiences of the patients concerned and the stark contrast between the reality of the care they received and the principles and values of the NHS.

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Introduction

These accounts present a picture of NHS provision that is failing to respond to the needs of older people with care and compassion.

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Mr & Mrs J's story

Hospital staff at Ealing Hospital NHS Trust left Mr J forgotten in a waiting room, denying him the chance to be with his wife as she died.

Mr D’s story

Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust discharged Mr D with inadequate pain relief, leaving his family to find someone to dispense and administer morphine over a bank holiday weekend.

Mrs R's story

Mrs R’s family were concerned that she would not receive food and drink while in Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust unless they themselves helped her to eat and drink.

Mrs Y's story

Mrs Y died from peritonitis and a perforated stomach ulcer after her GP Surgery missed opportunities to diagnose that she had an ulcer.

Mrs H’s story

When Mrs H was transferred from Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust to a care home, she arrived bruised, soaked in urine, dishevelled and wearing someone else’s clothes.

Mr C's story

Staff at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust turned off Mr C’s life support, despite his family’s request that they delay doing so for a short time.

Mr W's story

Mr W’s life was put at risk when Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust stopped treating him and then discharged him when he was not medically fit.

Mrs G’s story

Mrs G’s doctors at her local surgery failed to review her medication after she left hospital, with serious consequences for her health.

Mr L’s story

The care and treatment that Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust gave Mr L contributed to a loss of his dignity and compromised his ability to survive pneumonia.

Mrs N’s story

While doctors at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust diagnosed Mrs N’s lung cancer, they neglected to address the severe pain that she was suffering.