Posted on 10/11/2006 4:52:31 AM PDT by bd476
A great grandmother begged to die after she was left in her own filth after contracting two deadly superbugs.
Eileen Scott pleaded with daughter Ann Cunningham 'how long does it take to die' as she lay in excruciating pain in her soiled hospital bed. She was dead soon after.
Mrs Scott, 85, had been admitted to hospital following treatment for breast cancer.
But instead of recovering from the effects of the treatment, her health took a dramatic turn for the worse as she contracted first MRSA, and then the virulent superbug Clostridium Difficile.
In days the once bright and outgoing pensioner became a bed-ridden, frail shadow of her former self.
A former accountant, who served in the War Office during the Second World War, she lost half her body weight as she battled diarrhoea.
To the horror of her family, the vulnerable patient was left lying in her own excrement by overworked nursing staff.
Tonight they called for more nursing staff, and blamed the Government for Mrs Scott's death.
Mrs Cunningham, 62, said: 'My mother was an elderly lady but before she went into hospital she had a lot to live for.
'She died in horrendous circumstances.
'The diarrhoea was unrelenting, but there were just not enough nurses to cope.
'In the end they gave up trying to get her to the toilet and she was left lying in her own mess.
'She died feeling embarrassed and humiliated. She did not want her family to visit because the room smelled constantly.
'I'm so angry about the way my mother was treated, but also fearful for my family and other people who may be admitted to hospital.
'Something has to be done to stop this. My mother had some good experiences with the NHS, but she should have been afforded dignity in death.
'It is a tragedy which is repeating itself up and down this country.'
Mrs Scott died seven weeks after contracting the bug, which now claims three times as many lives as MRSA.
Her death is just the latest in a series involving elderly patients around the country, and is yet another in a string of cases to shine the spotlight on problems with care for the elderly.
The Daily Mail's Dignity for the Elderly campaign has highlighted the plight of pensioners in hospitals and care homes.
Mrs Scott, who was wheelchair bound through osteoarthritis, was first diagnosed with an unaggressive form of breast cancer around six years ago.
It was in May that she was admitted to the Royal Liverpool Hospital suffering from leg ulcers and a blood disorder linked to the drugs treating her cancer.
MRSA
A week later the widow learned she had MRSA. But when she made good progress, she was moved to a rehabilitation unit.
At the end of June Mrs Scott was readmitted to the Royal with a double fracture to her shoulder - an injury Mrs Cunningham believes was inflicted when two nurses tried to lift her.
Within days she contracted the deadly superbug bug clostridium difficile.
Three days later she was transferred to Broadgreen Hospital and died on September 7 weighing just five stone.
The official cause of death was registered as toxin diarrhoea and blood poisoning brought on by the clostridium difficile bug.
Describing her mother's ordeal Mrs Cunningham, a librarian, from Halewood, Liverpool, said she was stunned when she saw the same soiled nightdress lying behind a chair in her mother's private room three days in a row.
She added: 'She couldn't feed herself and the nursing didn't have time to feed her. She drifted away and in the end caught a bug she didn't have the strength to fight.
'Her last words to me were: 'How long does it take to die? The manner of her death was just horrendous.'
Mrs Cunningham said she met with hospital bosses twice to discuss her mother's care and also requested an incontinence nurse, but nothing was done.
'The nurses were desperately run off their feet.
'They told me my mother was ringing the bell for the nurses too often. One night she rang the bell 16 times, they told her to just do her mess on the bed or in her wheelchair.
'The nurses gave her a pad for the bed and she was expected to do the mess there.
'I even cleaned the diarrhoea up off the floor myself to try and ease my mother's distress.'
Mrs Cunningham's husband, Fred, a retired rigger at ICI, said he blamed the Government for his mother-in-law's dreadful death.
'We've got Mr Blair to blame for all this,' he added. 'Those people high up at the hospital should get off their backside and walk around those wards to see what is going on. There are too many managers, but they are not managing the hospitals.
'We had five months of hell, it was horrendous.'
Nationally, cases of C-Diff have risen by 17 per cent in the last year. Earlier this month it emerged that in one trust alone it had claimed the lives or 49 people since the beginning of the year.
The total cases increased by 17.2 per cent in England last year, from 44,107 in 2004 to 51,690 in 2005.
The bug is naturally present in the gut, but is normally kept under control by 'good' bacteria.
Vulnerable
Older people are most vulnerable to the bug which can cause devastating damage to the gut and death.
Basic hygiene can keep it in check.
But a Government focus on targets has been blamed for distracting doctors and nurses from concentrating on patient care and a shortage of nurses is said to have added to the problem.
Michael Summers, chairman of the Patients' Association, said: 'Leaving patients in dirty conditions, especially a vulnerable lady like this, is just unacceptable.'
He said her vulnerable status should have led to greater efforts to ensure she had 'special care'.
A hospital spokesman said: 'We strive to provide the highest levels of care and apologise unreservedly if this has not been the experience of the family.'
An investigation has been launched.
He said infection control was a priority and it placed 'great importance' on cleanliness.
Mr Summers added: 'Staff shortages are something we are seeing time and time again. We can't expect to be able to deal with infections if we don't have the staff available.
'Staff shortages led to this woman's neglect. If there aren't sufficient nurses to do jobs like make sure patients are clean and fed then this is the result.'
Vanessa Bourne, a former chairman of the Patients' Association, said: 'How any nurse could be too busy to see to a nurse in this situation is beyond me. Everyone expects their elderly relative to be looked after better than this.
'The hospital should investigate in double quick time.'
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Steve Webb said: 'All too often, the target of cutting down on infections comes into conflict with the dozens of other targets that hospital staff have to meet.
'Infection control works when wards can be closed quickly in case of infection, but all too often such decisions are not taken because hospital staff fear that they will miss other targets.
'It is time that infection control was a top priority in the NHS, not simply one item on a long shopping list of targets.'
The Conservatives have also called for centrally imposed Government targets to be dropped so that patient safety can be a priority.
From the article: "Basic hygiene can keep it in check."
Unfortunately neglect is also happening here in the USA, although to a lesser extent.
Hospitals, long term care facilities, rehabilitation centers and hospices are cutting back on staff to increase profits.
There is a hospice which has been relying upon unlicensed volunteers to give basic patient care up to and including bedpan changing, catheter checks, feeding, bathing and even some rudimentary rehab.
Many critical care hospitals have been running on stringent budgets, increasing shift hours to 12 and nurse patient ratios to the point where decent patient care has been given a back seat to the bottom line.
One remedy is to keep your relatives close and be an advocate for them if the situation arises. Prepare to become a 24 hour volunteer and ask the nursing staff for pointers.
It often takes extraordinary effort, but you may be the only hope your hospitalized relative has to survive or at least to die with some dignity.
If hospital staff see you at your loved one's bedside day and night, you can bet they will not neglect their duties, especially if you play the squeaky wheel routine consistently.
I had read recently (I ain't got a life), that something like 70 percent of folks die in their bed... peacefully... while asleep.
Don't know how true.
This article reads like the daughter should have taken a more aggressive role, as in doing the demanding work in caring for her mother... if for no other reason than her mother's comfort.
I'm not one to judge the daughter. She wasn't a trained professional. My only hope is that others will have dignity in their last days. Maybe someone has learned a lesson here.
Government does a lousy job...is this really news? This is what "single payer" health care would be like in the USA, only much worse because we have so many more people.
In the end, your family will have to take the responsibility for your care, or not.
Anything is possible, but 'tween you and me, DJF? I think that's an insurance company PR slogan.
djf wrote: "(I ain't got a life)"
LOL, seems like all I do is read, read, read and read some more.
When someone from our family is in the hospital, there is a family member there almost 24/7 to take care of the 'light work'.
It not only takes some of the load off the nursing staff, but when we do call a nurse or aide in, they seem more likely to respond quickly.
You don't challenge the Nanny State care when you are told that the Socialist system will take care of you and you need not worry.
I do think that the nanny state has left the family just standing around. I did personal care for my mother when she was in hospice and felt blessed to be able to do it for her.
Carolyn
Clostridium difficile-related diarrhea and colitis are common health problems, especially in elderly, frail hospitalized patients. MRSA is a Staph infection,In patients who are otherwise well the organisms often disappear once the patient leaves the hospital. Problem is this woman didnt leave.
Hospitals kill people.
Its bad enough to have to go to a hospital to begin with, but hospitals that arent kept clean and sanitised are full of organisms that people didnt have when they went in. This lady contracted what killed her while in the hospital. She didnt go in with either disease. The hospitals refusal to clean her up and their letting her lie in her filth creates a situation where whoever goes in that room behind her is likely to die the same way.
Staph infections are contagious, her daughter and the nurses could get infected also. It isnt even safe to visit.
The situation isnt as bad in this country, because of insurance and Americans insistance that they get what the insurance company is paying for., and that is a clean environment. Let Hillary care come in and this Free Government health plan will be as bad or worse than what this poor lady had to endure.
That was also my initial impression. When my Dad was in a 24 hour hospice with unlimited visiting hours, I was surprised that the place wasn't hopping day and night with visitors. I assumed that most people were at their jobs.
While I was very focused on my Dad in trying to attend to his needs, I went on quick runs to get a nurse when some of the more alone patients called out as I walked down the hall.
Because of HIPAA and State regulated laws, I could not enter another patient's room unless the patient asked specifically for me to enter. Many patients were in need of medical help, some needed company, just to have someone in the room with them, listen to them, give them a smile.
Unfortunately the hardened worn out nurses responded with comments which won't be found in any codebook of ethics. There were times when I had to raise my voice to be heard above their chitchat sessions and computer game playing at the nurses' stations.
Gallows humor was one thing but some of the worst nurses had outright contempt for the patients and openly showed disdain and condescension towards the patients while attending to their needs.
Another factor is the manner of work. Nurses are overworked, and have jobs that most of us would never do. It is hard, dirty physical work. In addition they are treated poorly by patients and families who can be nasty and overly demanding, and are held accountable to managers for how much time is spent per pt, etc. Then there is she liscensing boards, and the consant fear of loosing your liscense or job for one med mistake.
Sound like a job you are rushing to train for? That's why there is a nursing shortage!
Perhaps they should outsource to Mexico the jobs that the English won't do.
Yes it is safe to visit. I have worked in hospitals for years, and so has my husband. You do get colonized with some nasty bugs, but they rarely cause infection unless you are debilitated in some way. It is the already ill, debilitated patients that are vulnerable to the nasty infections
In addition, you do not need to go to the hospital anymore. We are seeing a lot of MRSA in the community now, which was never true before.
So don't hesitate to visit sick relatives in the hospital, just practice good handwashing. If you are debilitated for some reason (cancer, aids, etc) maybe you should visit them when they get home.
What you said is exactly true, bd. Family members have to watch over their loved ones while they are in the care of an institution. I think that has always been true.
Waiting on the government to get around to helping a loved one while you watch them suffer...that is insane. If nothing else these folks could have brought her home and hired some private nurses to keep her clean and comfortable as she died. I don't think folks accustomed/conditioned to socialism think outside the box. They do not see their personal responsibility, power and options.
>some of the worst nurses had outright contempt for the patients and openly showed disdain and condescension towards the patients while attending to their needs.<
I've seen that at nursing homes. I realize people get jaded, but when a nurse becomes nasty and verbally abusive, he or she needs to be in some other type of work.
Not standing up for the nhs but why didn't the family clean up, feed the woman or take her home?
This is happening here already but fortunately not to the extent it is occuring in the UK."In the end, your family will have to take the responsibility for your care, or not."
Yes and in many cases it will be ... skilled in medical care or not.
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