Flying shame
THE news that Dubai airport has overtaken Heathrow in passenger numbers (Mail) comes as no surprise.
We often fly from Birmingham to Dubai, and after the seven- hour flight, the usual announcement is made as we approach the airport: ‘Things are very busy at the moment, and we’ve been told to hold. We apologise for the delay.’
It is the middle of the night in Dubai, and for the next hour we wait for permission to l and. When we eventually hit the runway, we taxi for
READING that a health watchdog says elderly patients are suffering in silence, too polite to make a fuss (Mail), I thought: ‘I know what this is about.’ I am in my late 80s, and I recently had a hip replacement operation. Despite pain in my joints due to arthritis, I’d been active until the beginning of 2013, but needed the op as my hip kept giving way and was making walking very difficult. Until then, I used to walk everywhere and was very fit for my age. The operation was a great success and I’m grateful to the wonderful surgeon and doctors — but the aftercare on the ward was purgatory. By the time I returned home, my immune system was so poor that I had to take antibiotics for two viruses, cellulitis and an ear infection. I hadn’t expected to be so weak and helpless after the op. Just making up a bed for myself when I returned home left me exhausted. My body clock was all over the place and it took me ages to get my sleeping and eating back to normal. While in hospital, there was no pain from the op itself, but several of the nurses seemed to be too busy to care. I tried to keep a low profile and not be a nuisance, but that did not help. One night, I needed to use the lavatory. I got up quietly and made my way there with a walking aid, but on the way back a nurse came charging up and said: ‘D’you know what time it is? It’s 2am!’ I did not reply, but wondered what was I supposed to do. Another time, I was directed to a washroom by a nurse, but when I went to use it again, another nurse ticked me off for ‘keeping another patient waiting’ by using ‘the wrong washroom’. I never answered back, as I realised I couldn’t do their difficult job. Several of the nurses were so rushed they were burnt out. There was kindness, with nurses bringing me extra blankets and tucking me in when I was cold, but just as often I was ticked off by nurses for no reason, as if I were a naughty child. A kind health assistant loaned me a pillow slip to cover my eyes so I could get some sleep, but when I asked a senior nurse for one on another night she snapped: ‘If you were really tired you could sleep.’ I was nauseous the whole time I was there (five to six days), so I couldn’t face the food or even a cup of coffee or tea. I managed a couple of bowls of soup and forced myself to eat a piece of toast. I needed to survive as I’m the sole carer of a loved one. Ancillary staff, ambulance people and physiotherapists were all outstanding and helpful. But any more cutbacks in nursing staff would prove disastrous.
Mrs BARBARA MacARTHUR, Cardiff.