|
|
 |
| |
| Two-star rating, but hospital
wash basin had no plug |
VETERAN pensioners’ rights campaigner George Durack has
voiced his disgust at standards in two-star rated Whittington Hospital
after spending seven days in an overcrowded ward where “self
preservation became a priority”.
Mr Durack, 81, from Tufnell Park, has revealed how he struggled
to wash himself with one hand in a basin without a plug, how wards
were cleaned in a “slap happy” way and how it cost him
30p-a-minute to make telephone calls.
The Highgate hospital gained its two-star rating – out of a
possible three stars – for good management. However, hospital
chiefs had to fend off criticism last month when it was revealed
that its annual report – published as a hardback book –
had cost £17,000.
Mr Durack, chairman of Islington Pensioners’ Forum, this week
described his 10-hour wait for a bed when he was admitted to the
hospital suffering from diverticulitis, a bladder complaint, last
month. He said: “It was a terribly frustrating and uncomfortable
experience.”
He had to wash each morning and night in a basin without a plug.
Mr Durack said: “It was explained that it was to stop the basin
overflowing. I just had one hand – the other was attached to
a drip – and here I was trying to wash myself with the water
disappearing down the plughole. In the end I plugged the basin with
toilet paper, which works briefly but to no great effect.”
He said that, in terms of cleanliness, the hospital “does its
best” but had a long way to go before its standards were acceptable.
Mr Durack added: “It was all a bit slap happy at times.”
He was particularly angry at the 30p-a-minute cost of calls for
patients using a hospital phone card.
Mr Durack said that, while his ward, Victoria, was overcrowded,
the next-door ward, Thoroughgood, was closed. He said: “I was
told the hospital had overspent and that’s why they had to
close the ward.”
A spokeswoman for the hospital said: “We were sorry to hear
about Mr Durack’s concerns about his stay in hospital. If he
wishes to contact us directly we will happily look into the points
raised by him in your article.
Regarding the bedside phone system, the Trust is currently in the
process of changing the system we use for the bedside phones. The
new system will contain a notification of the charges for calling
when the caller dials the number.” |
|
It’s time for ‘sell by’ dates on wines
TELEVISION chef Rick Stein claimed in The Daily Telegraph in August
that “the wine revolution that had swept this country was leaving
the French behind,” ....
FULL STORY
A local team for local people
WE all know the lengths football fans will go to to support their
team...
FULL STORY
|
