Angry family say mum’s treatment ‘diabolical’

ANGRY . . . Cath Stone with her mother Celia Hodkin

THE family of an 85-year-old woman have lodged a catalogue of complaints with health chiefs over her “diabolical” treatment at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

They say the pensioner’s calls for help were ignored as she suffered a heart attack and a request for a dietician visit by her daughter, who was worried about her mother’s loss of weight, failed to take place when a nurse on the ward told the dietician she was “fine.”

The woman was later prescribed weight gain meals by her GP to build her up.

They also say patient confidentiality was breached when a nurse rang Celia Hodkin’s husband at home to discuss her condition, when she was fit and able to speak for herself, and she returned home very cold and distressed after spending 20 minutes waiting for ambulance staff to pick up a second patient in a vehicle with a broken heater and just one blanket round her shoulders.

Mrs Hodkin and her daughter, Cath Stone, claim responses to official complaints from hospital bosses skirt around the issues, and imply Mrs Hodkin was “confused and mistaken” in her recollections.

Mrs Stone said: “It’s diabolical the way my mother was treated. They nearly killed her, with the issue around the heart attack, and someone has to fight for patients.

“We are disgusted with the way she was treated. My mother is far from stupid and can speak for herself— she should have been given the opportunity to talk to the dietician.”

Mrs Hodkin said the replies she had received so far were patronising, and added: “Although I am in my 80s, I am neither senile or have a poor short- term or long-term memory.”

The incidents took place after Mrs Hodkin was admitted to the Royal Oldham Hospital through the accident and emergency department after she fell and hurt her legs.

Eight days later she suffered a heart attack, and said: “I will never forget the anguish I went through as I was finding it difficult to get my breath.

“I asked for oxygen and was informed that only a sister could dispense it and she was at a meeting.

“The next time they came I was getting worse and frightened, and this time I was told the sister was in records.”

Mrs Hodkin said she was ignored when she pressed a buzzer for help, adding: “I remember fighting for breath and thinking I was dying.

“Then I saw a lot of nurses by my bed, one of them held my hand, and at that time they were so caring, in contrast to the earlier situation.

“My medical records show I had a cardiac arrest that morning.”

A response from the Trust following an investigation stated that staff attended Mrs Hodkin on three occasions on that morning, and none recalled her being breathless or distressed, nor voicing any concerns.

But, said Mrs Hodkin: “Why would I make this sequence of events up?”

A Trust spokesman said: “We have received three letters of complaint from Mrs Hodkin and her family regarding her inpatient stay at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

“Staff were due to meet with Mrs Hodkin and her family on two separate occasions but unfortunately these had to be cancelled.

“In view of her continued dissatisfaction a letter was sent to Mrs Hodkin earlier this week inviting her in to meet with trust members.”

A response from the hospital confirmed Mrs Hodkin had had a heart attack, and said about her cold wait in the ambulance that the faulty heater had now been repaired, and staff were unable to leave the engine running with the vehicle’s heater on while it was unattended for health and safety reasons.