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Robbed of his dignity Robbed of respect
Reporter: Marina Berry
Date online: 25 January 2012
Left lying in faeces; lost from a ward; found wandering in the road in his nightwear by police, RN veteran was left unwashed for days and discharged in smelly clothes
THESE are just some of the accusations a devastated family is levelling at the Royal Oldham Hospital over the care given to a husband, father and Royal Navy veteran — Frank Iberson.
His distraught widow, Irene, and her family have made a formal complaint to the hospital, and have spoken out publicly in the hope of preventing anyone else going through the same ordeal.
Mrs Iberson (74) of Grotton, said: “My much-loved husband could not speak up for himself because he was too ill with Alzheimer’s and myelofibrosis (a bone marrow condition).
“So I and the rest of my family will speak for him, with the hope that hospital management will be forced to improve the way they treat vulnerable patients.
“The level of Frank’s hygiene was disgusting, he was left stained and smelly and with bleeding sores caused by him being left dirty.
“The images of him in hospital during those last few days will haunt me forever.”
Mr Iberson was admitted regularly for blood transfusions, and his widow said each time she sent in clean underwear and pyjamas and reminded nurses her husband had Alzheimer’s, he remained unwashed and his clean clothes lay untouched in his locker.
In the summer of 2010, she received a phone call saying her husband was missing, yet staff joked to the worried family that he had “probably gone looking for the pub.”
On another occasion Mrs Iberson found her husband distressed because he needed the toilet but unable to go because he was hooked up to machines.
“He was discharged the following day, still wearing the same, badly stained, clothes. He smelled so bad, and his bottom was sore,” said Mrs Iberson.
“If a baby or child had been left in this state — essentially tied to the chair and in soiled clothes — it would rightly be called abuse.
“To my family, and any compassionate person, it is no less abusive when it happens to a vulnerable, elderly person.”
Mr Iberson, who had three children, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, eventually needed 24-hour care and he was moved to a care home.
“It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, but the staff at Oakdene Nursing Home were wonderful. They treated him with compassion and maintained his dignity,” said Mrs Iberson.
On October 5 last year he had to be admitted to hospital, and when he was discharged the following day, the thin and frail 80-year-old arrived at Oakdene by ambulance wearing only thin pyjamas, which were soiled, and missing the warm dressing gown he was wearing when admitted.
Mrs Iberson said: “Frank died 13 days later (October 19, 2011). I will never forgive the hospital for the way they treated him, and I thank God that he didn’t die in there.
“Staff did not treat Frank as a person worthy of their time. He took great pride in himself before being stricken with Alzheimer’s, and hospital staff ignored his right to be treated with dignity and respect.
“No person should have to experience such humiliation. Maybe speaking out will help initiate changes in hospital policy. And maybe it will stop the horrible flashbacks I keep having of my dear husband being tossed out of the hospital, cold and dirty, in the final days of his life.”
His son, Peter Iberson (52) of Delph, said: “My father was treated like garbage and my mother still cries about it every day.
“I have seen reports of other people treated in a similar manner, and I don’t believe this is an isolated incident.
“There was no compassion shown to my father, yet anyone need only look at him to see he needed help.”
*The family is the second to approach the Oldham Chronicle in the last month following concerns over the way an elderly relative was treated at the Royal Oldham Hospital.
The Chronicle featured the late Miriam Morgan’s story on December 29 after her family spoke out about the “neglect and lack of dignity” suffered by the 88-year-old.
How the Trust responded
Marian Carroll, Director of Nursing for The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said:
We wish to offer our sincere condolences to Mr Iberson's family. We are extremely sorry and concerned to hear about the matters they have raised in relation to some of the care provided at our hospital.
We have this week received a formal complaint and will work with the family in ensuring that their concerns and all aspects of Mr Iberson's care are thoroughly investigated.
Maintaining patient safety and high standards of patient care remain our top priority across all our hospitals.
We regret any incident or case that gives rise to a complaint by a patient or their family and the distress this can cause.
We always look into the circumstances surrounding any complaint where there may be lessons to be learned in the way care and treatment is provided.”
Comments
"there may be lessons to be learned in the way care and treatment is provided.”
Did they not say something similar in the case of Peter Anderson 12 months ago.
Read this article from the Chronicle archives...
http://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/8/news-headlines/52890/why-did-noone-stop-my-peter
Obviously no lessons have been learned by the Pennine Acute Trust and doubt that they ever will be.
We always look into the circumstances surrounding any complaint where there may be lessons to be learned in the way care and treatment is provided.
But nothing ever improves Ms Carroll. My advise to anyone with an elderly relative entering hospital is to make sure you have Ms Carroll's phone number in your phone for just in case any problems should arise.
The last time I posted something about the NHS someone said I was wrong and that nurses were caring professional people. Well here is the proof that they aren't and that I was correct (yet again). The NHS is a terrible mess inefficient and bureaucratic, no wonder no other country in the world use it as a model. The problem is that people don't see just how much better treatment is in other countries, and defend it simply because they receive treatment free.
My 84 year old father, who was suffering from the early stages of dementia, was admitted to the Royal Oldham and he received similar treatment. He went missing from the ward and was found hiding in a linen cupboard by me. The ward staff couldn't be bothered looking for him. He too was left in filthy clothes. His one pleasure was reading and they lost his spectacles. I hope this family gets justice.
well done for bringing it up my father in law was also sent hom
e in diguting state dispite having clean clothes at 96 years old
My heart goes out to the family of this poor man - what terrible memories to have of how your loved one suffered needlessly. I understand the 'staff shortages' etc, but I have seen with my own eyes when patients have been asking for drinks, etc and nurses are just congregated around the nurses' station chatting and ignoring the patients. I do not claim that all the nursing staff at ROH are like that, but there are quite a few and they need to have a clear out and employ nurses who actually care.
It's about time someone spoke out about the appalling treatment that patients are suffering at the hands of staff at Oldham hospital.
I have witnessed it myself many times.
The people that work there just don't care and something needs to be done to rectify this issue.
My late father who died in 1996 was left in dirty PJs on his bed and he had been given an horrendous haircut - he had been stripped of his dignity (he was a stroke patient) but our family was never given an apology. Shambolic! Obviously things haven't changed.
In defence - my mother was on Ward 7 for 6 weeks and died on 11th December. In all that time she was well cared for and treated with compassion. Some days I visited twice and she was always clean. Were we just lucky?
I agree a lesson needs to be learned, my father died in the royal oldham hospital on 29th dec 2011.After having suffered the same appalling standard of care as mentioned by so many people.iam myself now in the process of launching a formal complaint against this hospital.iam hoping to find a way to bring out into the open the true number of people who have witnessed there loved ones being treated with such a basic lack of dignity and respect that it will haunt them forever.Written on behalf S.D
I worked with Frank just over 30 years ago,he was a Rugged,proud Man,it makes me very sad to read he spent his last days like this
Hi My name is Paul and Im in the USA now.after what I have just read it scares me bad. My late wife spent many of weeks in there and I can honestly say her care was very good. The one thing I did see and not like was a staff shortage like 30 full care patients and 4 staff. I ask how can they do there job? What it now seams is they are more interested in money and pay for the big bosses and not care. There is a lot of good nurses who worked there and yes some bad. All this was in 2000.
The British NHS, best in the world. I can assure you that it is not just The Royal Oldham Hospital. I live near Preston and our hospital does equally worse things than this.
My family and I spent three months in 2011 from October to December visiting two elderly Grandfathers in the Royal Oldham hospital and we witnessed first hand the appalling treatment patients receive. God help anybody with elderly relatives in there because the doctors and nurses won't. Disgusting!
This latest incident of a catalogue of errors brings to my mind one simple question....Why doesn't Marion Carroll get her backside off her luxury executive chair and away from finance meetings, policy meetings, miscellaneous brushes meetings (apologies to John Wilkes) and go round to these hospitals and do spot checks on these wards. Or is it just easier to issue a meaningless apology knowing full well that the day after, all is forgetten and nothing will change?
Here we go again! Same old stories. Nothing changes. I've posted on here about this sort of thing in the past. My mother suffered at this place last year on T wards. She also has dementia. Fortunately my dad, my sister and I were there every day and we made sure she got the necessary care (and was fed) but others who had no visitors were left. You need to constantly question and ask on the wards and get the nurses off their backsides and out of their tea room. If you don't you will be ignored.
Have Your Say
From time to time, the Chronicle will publish a letter from a former patient (or their family), extolling the virtues of the Royal Oldham Hospital – glowing praise liberally sprinkled throughout. The question therefore must be asked – given the disturbing increase (as evidenced in the pages of the Chronicle over recent months) in reports of patients suffering a lamentable lack of basic care – just what on earth has gone so appallingly wrong. Lessons need to be learned, and pretty damn quick.
By shaun mcgrath @ 25/01/2012 16:06:59