Royal United Hospital, Bath, named and shamed..

Thursday, 15th September.
I put in my complaint to the hospital last week. That stirred it up. The cancer manager phoned me yesterday with assurances that they always make the patient part of the decision making process, that my mum hasn't been shut out of treatment because of money and they do care ! I also spoke to a Lung Nurse Specialist yesterday. I demanded that they confirm that the test for a cell marker had not been done and that therefore they had never intended to offer my mum treatment (really patient-centred). I suppose I hoped that maybe they had done it, at least DONE the test, and then got my mum on her own to convince her not to have treatment. Hmmmmmm, I'm not sure that that is a lesser evil.
Anyhow, so the nurse specialist actually managed to phone me this morning. What a lovely start to the day. And, yes, it's true, they NEVER did the test. They never intended to offer my lovely old mum a choice as to whether she had treatment because they never did the test for the cell marker. Whoa. Of course, elderly abuse is rife in hospitals and care homes in the U.K., but I thought I was on top of it. Like I said in my previous blog, I thought that having a relative watching and checking whatever they did would prevent my mum being a victim to them. And I have let her down, using all my strength and resources, I have still let her down.

So did I try to chase up this test? Yes, with everything I had, against the barrier of misinformation, elusive staff, personal stress and upset, yes I did try. They sometimes said that it had been done, sometimes that it would be done,that they would let me know. Then the person I spoke to went off for a few days, the S.H.O. changed and I couldn't hunt them down. Of course, simultaneously there were the other issues of my mum's distress, not getting things to eat, forgotten medication, etc., and I couldn't cope with it all.

Anyhow, they are well and truly stitched up. We can have another consultant,isn't that kind of them? The only problem is that the new consultant won't be able to give an independent opinion, they said. Or did I hear that right.

Got to go now... I demanded they do the test, by the way. I wonder if they will oblige? Maybe they'll refuse on the grounds that it's too late now to offer my mum treatment even if there was a cell marker?