Brave crusade of grieving daughter
THE CURE C4, 9pm
BASED on a real-life story, this standalone film tells of an ordinary woman who exposed one of the worst hospital care scandals in NHS history.
Sherlock’s Sian Brooke stars as Julie Bailey and Sue Johnston as her mum Bella, who was admitted to Stafford Hospital in 2007 with a treatable hernia condition.
Eight weeks later Bella, 86, was dead, having endured appalling levels of care and neglect.
There are harrowing scenes as we watch Bella’s sudden decline, from joyful and having a laugh with her family to frail and incapacitated.
During Bella’s two months in hospital, she was dropped on the floor by a healthcare assistant and left without oxygen for a day.
Julie witnessed other patients who were left for hours in soiled sheets without pain relief, desperately dehydrated and in filthy wards.
After her mum died, and having witnessed the routine suffering of patients, she launched the campaign Cure the NHS.
Determined that no other patient should endure the same as her mother, she brought together people who’d had similar experiences.
Gradually, the pressure of the campaign uncovered the full extent of what was happening at the hospital.
And it led to a public inquiry which made 290 recommendations to ensure patient safety.
But the film also shows the personal sacrifice courageous Julie had to make, suffering abuse from angry protestors and being spat at by hospital workers. A moving, upsetting and emotional drama, but one that shows the difference one person can make.