In July 2022 I accompanied a frail, elderly relative to an A&E department before they were admitted to the hospital.

After a very long wait, they were admitted to a respiratory ward that wasn't equipped or staffed to care for someone at their stage of frailty in what turned out to be the last three days of their life.

When alone on the ward, their many requests for help to wash, eat, drink, and get to the toilet were ignored. Instead, they were treated as an inconvenience. 

The staff were visibly annoyed at having to care for someone so frail and in need of extra attention due to their advanced age and illness.

They were yelled at for not standing on their own and pulled up from their chair.  Proud and previously very independent, they were reduced to being told that they were too much trouble to care for. It's the most heartbreaking thing I've ever seen. 

Basic frailty assessments as documented in the NHS Frailty Toolkit were not actively undertaken and, although safeguarding procedures such as swallow function tests were ordered, these were not executed.

Unfortunately, anecdotally this experience seems to be far from an isolated case. We want to change this.

There comes a time when we are no longer able to give our frail, elderly loved ones the level of medical support they need and it is at this point, when they are at their most sick and vulnerable, that we hand them over to NHS medical professionals as an inpatient, with the expectation that they will be cared for and safe.

At a time like this, no family member should have to battle with those giving care to ensure that their relative’s requests for help are heard or that the prescribed medication and treatment are given. 

No one at the end of visiting hours should leave their loved one, who is so vulnerable, on a ward fearing that they may be neglected of treatment or basic care overnight but feel powerless to prevent this.

Thousands of our elderly have no one to visit them or ensure they are receiving appropriate levels of care when admitted to the hospital. Without someone to speak out for them, they will continue to be side-lined and their needs ignored.

After witnessing such a lack of basic humanity, the failure of professional care and the lack of respect for my loved one in their last days, I cannot stand by and see other families experience the same scenario. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please sign this petition for the NHS to: 

1) Improve current hospital infrastructure in smaller UK hospitals to ensure access to frailty support for the frail elderly upon planned admission or via acute admittance.

2) Establish better ward oversight to address the increasing occurrences of missed care and neglect being experienced by the growing numbers of frail elderly needing inpatient care. 

3) Introduce 'frailty guardians' into all NHS hospitals to safeguard the frail elderly ensuring their needs are heard and met on the wards.

Don't let this happen to someone you care about. Sign this petition to make sure things change.

Frightened, confused and overwhelmed at finding themselves in a hospital ward, the least we should expect is that our loved ones are shown a little respect, kindness, and help with basic care from those treating them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing the story of my relative's terribly sad last days is not something my family wanted to do publicly but we can't let other people and their families go through this - THINGS MUST CHANGE NOW.

The NHS is currently failing in its care of our frail elderly. They urgently need to have properly staffed frailty support and wards in ALL hospitals, together with much better oversight as to the care that the frail elderly are receiving within hospital wards when admitted.  

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION - DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO SOMEONE YOU LOVE.

 

 

 

 

PLEASE SHARE THIS PETITION AT LEAST ONCE.

SFEI - SAFEGUARDING FRAIL ELDERLY INPATIENTS - A NATIONAL PATIENT SAFETY CAMPAIGN AND PETITION. Find out more at www.sfei.uk