Dumped for days in a hospital corridor
HOW sad that 93-year-old former nurse Enid Stevens was left on a trolley in a hospital corridor for six days (Mail). What is even worse is that this is not an isolated case. My 50-year-old daughter, who is a nurse and married with two teenage children, went to Leeds General Infirmary A&E at midnight last week. Nineteen hours later, after a CT scan, she was given a bed on a ward. She was told she had to remain in hospital as she required an MRI scan. We were told she’d have this the following day, but it did not happen. Then they decided they needed her bed for another patient and she was transferred to the corridor. From Sunday to Tuesday, when she finally had the MRI scan, my daughter had no privacy except for a small screen. The bed was parked near the nurses’ station with staff chatting all night, keeping her awake, and constant traffic passing during the day. Not only were there constant bright lights, but every time a patient pressed their call button in the ward — which happened day and night — it triggered an alarm above her head. She says the doctors, nurses and care assistants did their best to make her as comfortable as possible. Everyone apologised that she had to sleep in a corridor, but it seemed to be beyond them to do anything about it. Saying sorry is easy to do, but taking action is much harder. Ironically, a sign on the wall next to my daughter’s bed stated: ‘All hospital corridors . . . must be kept free of obstructions.’ My daughter was given a leaflet from the hospital chief executive Julian Hartley apologising for having to use corridors and saying this would occur for only ‘a short and temporary period’.
Toff at the top
BERATING public funding of the arts, Paul Frazier refers to ‘working-man stuff’ (Letters), meaning football, pop concerts and street art.
Footballers earn millions and clubs are owned by billionaires. Pop stars are all former Guards officers and public school kids, and I bet Banksy is an Old Etonian. PAUL CHARLES COOK,
Huddersfield, W. Yorks.
Din dins
I AM not surprised restaurants are losing trade. My husband and I used to eat out at least twice a week, but have virtually stopped.
We are tired of having It is a disgraceful state of affairs where a woman had to suffer the degradation of being on view to all and sundry without any privacy. The scan showed she has fluid on the brain and migraine, caused by stress.
DAVID STEVENS, Leeds. NO ONE should have to endure the poor treatment Enid Stevens received at St James’s Hospital in Leeds. It is utterly shameful. The reason for this is bed blocking because patients can’t be discharged safely due to a lack of recuperation facilities for those who require looking expensive meals ruined by other people’s children crying, running around and making a racket while their parents simply sit there, smiling fondly and taking another picture of their little darlings.
Yes, I know it is a child’s right to express itself, but is it not also my right to have a quiet, civilised meal?
For my birthday, we went to a good- quality, silver service restaurant and, yet again, a family with four children spoiled the experience.
These youngsters were shrieking and jumping on and off the table while the parents played with their phones.
It will be a long while indeed before I am tempted to dine out again. MARALYN GROVES, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs. I AM not surprised so many chain restaurants are closing after, not nursing. We are facing a care catastrophe because convalescence homes have been systematically closed on the grounds of saving money. The Enid Stevenses of this country deserve better.
RICHARD A. JACOB, Southampton. I CRIED when I read about Mrs Stevens’s appalling treatment. I know there are problems with cash and staffing, but I can’t understand how a ward manager could have gone off duty leaving this lady in this situation. Oh, come back Sister and Matron!
S. DRAPER, Bexhill-on-Sea, E. Sussex. down. People are no longer prepared to tolerate lukewarm food served on cold plates and being subjected to loud, unnecessary music and tables of bellowing men and shrieking women.
Minimalist restaurants may appear functional and modern, but they don’t provide the ambience for comfortable, relaxed dining.
JOAN BOENKE, Tunbridge Wells, Kent.