withoutmydad
05-05-2009, 11:56 PM
Hi,
Just wanted to know if anyone has any information on how starving a patient to death can be justified by the NHS and whether or not they can get away with this.
My family and I are starting legal proceedings. Has anyone here had a similar experience.
My now deceased father was mentally ill (vunerable) and without capacity.
He was diagnosed with depression and personallity disorder. As his condition deteriorated he become more threatening, agressive and suicidal.
As my father had been in hospital (Shelton) not that long ago we asked for 117 aftercare.
However his health care coordinator from Shropshire and Staffordshire Foundation decided that he thought my father had capacity and after some evaluation needed no help.
We pleaded with his doctor and health care coordinator that he needed more assessment and observations to make that decision but still his health care coordinator said no sorry we can't help you.
Because of his increased agression he became to much to handle and being stuck between a rock and a hard place my mother sought legal advice. She wanted my father to get the care he needed which was being refused.
After speaking to a solicitor and going to court it was deemed fit that my fathers health care coordinator be there at the hearing.
My father was too ill to attend and would not face going to court. My mother was granted an injunction to be taken out upon my father.
This injunction was taken out because of escalating verbal and physical abuse from my father and because of the fact both of them but especially my father was not getting adequate support.
The court instructed his health care coordinator to find althernative accomidation for my father
When this injunction was due to become effective which was about a week later I do not have the exact details on the same day when this health care coordinator was supposed to be there my Dad went AWOL. He decided to leave.
Shortly after his health care coordinator arrived to my parents home they decided to try and find him and we did our own inquiry. At this time my dads health care cooridinator said: You didn't have to do this you could have left and we could have put a care package in. When my mother replied I could not leave my home he then said. Why? Because you can't pysically move or because you find it unpalatable.
I witnessed the above conversation with my mother. I was appalled.
We later found that he was taken by police from a pub in Birmingham to a police station where he was later taken to Dudley Road Hospital.
He was seen by there mental health team for assessment. It was deemed he had capacity, however later we found out that he never spoke to them at all. He obsconded. He was later found at the bottom of a fire escape where he had appeared to have fallen 3 floors.
He was immediately taken to there intensive care unit. He suffered compound fractures to both legs and a broken spine. After being there until just after mid january about the 15th it was decided that his other problems needed addressing (mental condition) and he was moved to Shelton in Shrewsbury.
He was there from about mid January to mid april.
I myself raised the concern that it was not a place to cope with his physical needs having catheter, not being able to got to the toilet and being told by the hospital that he would be encourged to sort it out himself.
My mother visited him in late March, had to fight to get access to his room and found him in the most appalling condition.
Lying in his own Sh@# etc... without a drink of water left on his own.
We had had no contact from the hospital on his condition from when he left Birmingham no information was passed on to us nothing.
A week later we had a call from his NEW health care coordinator who deemed shelton unfit to care for him. However he was sent to Castle Lodge in Dawley which is unusual as it is a site used for intervention when a patient relapses and reduces hospital admissions.
He was there three days before they deemed him too unwell and sent him to the local hospital The Princess Royal Hospital Telford.
He was there two weeks nothing was passed on to us other than he was refusing to eat. He was by this time under a section three and by common law could be force fed, given a drip or peg fed.
I was phoned at work by my spouse on Friday 1st May to say get to the hospital quick. Your Dad is really unwell. My spouse was crying clearly there was a problem and I rushed to the hospital as fast as I could. by this time it was quater to seven PM.
When I got to the ward and walked in I got the shock of my life. The man I had known all my life was reduced to skin and bone he took shallow breaths was covered in bruises. His skin was frail and grey. I left the room immediately to phone my spouse. I knew that it was not looking good for my Dad.
I sat there feeling terrible. That I had trusted these people to look after my father and clearly they had failed him in every aspect of his care. I put my hand on his spoke softly to him told him that he means the world to me that I was sorry for not being there when I should have been. Said I love you and a tear rolled down his face. His heart monitor started falling from 54bpm.
By the time it was 17 I had alerted hospital staff but his condition was to bad and I told them to not resusitate he was so thin and frail that it was wicked to continue.
I have no doubt that my dad was ill treated and starved to death in hospital. The man I had known all my life was a strong one. He was a good man and had his share of problems with battling drepession for so long.
I think people need to be made aware of the problems that others are facing, especially as his doctor, social services were all involved in his case, and it still fell straight through the net.
Just wanted to know if anyone has any information on how starving a patient to death can be justified by the NHS and whether or not they can get away with this.
My family and I are starting legal proceedings. Has anyone here had a similar experience.
My now deceased father was mentally ill (vunerable) and without capacity.
He was diagnosed with depression and personallity disorder. As his condition deteriorated he become more threatening, agressive and suicidal.
As my father had been in hospital (Shelton) not that long ago we asked for 117 aftercare.
However his health care coordinator from Shropshire and Staffordshire Foundation decided that he thought my father had capacity and after some evaluation needed no help.
We pleaded with his doctor and health care coordinator that he needed more assessment and observations to make that decision but still his health care coordinator said no sorry we can't help you.
Because of his increased agression he became to much to handle and being stuck between a rock and a hard place my mother sought legal advice. She wanted my father to get the care he needed which was being refused.
After speaking to a solicitor and going to court it was deemed fit that my fathers health care coordinator be there at the hearing.
My father was too ill to attend and would not face going to court. My mother was granted an injunction to be taken out upon my father.
This injunction was taken out because of escalating verbal and physical abuse from my father and because of the fact both of them but especially my father was not getting adequate support.
The court instructed his health care coordinator to find althernative accomidation for my father
When this injunction was due to become effective which was about a week later I do not have the exact details on the same day when this health care coordinator was supposed to be there my Dad went AWOL. He decided to leave.
Shortly after his health care coordinator arrived to my parents home they decided to try and find him and we did our own inquiry. At this time my dads health care cooridinator said: You didn't have to do this you could have left and we could have put a care package in. When my mother replied I could not leave my home he then said. Why? Because you can't pysically move or because you find it unpalatable.
I witnessed the above conversation with my mother. I was appalled.
We later found that he was taken by police from a pub in Birmingham to a police station where he was later taken to Dudley Road Hospital.
He was seen by there mental health team for assessment. It was deemed he had capacity, however later we found out that he never spoke to them at all. He obsconded. He was later found at the bottom of a fire escape where he had appeared to have fallen 3 floors.
He was immediately taken to there intensive care unit. He suffered compound fractures to both legs and a broken spine. After being there until just after mid january about the 15th it was decided that his other problems needed addressing (mental condition) and he was moved to Shelton in Shrewsbury.
He was there from about mid January to mid april.
I myself raised the concern that it was not a place to cope with his physical needs having catheter, not being able to got to the toilet and being told by the hospital that he would be encourged to sort it out himself.
My mother visited him in late March, had to fight to get access to his room and found him in the most appalling condition.
Lying in his own Sh@# etc... without a drink of water left on his own.
We had had no contact from the hospital on his condition from when he left Birmingham no information was passed on to us nothing.
A week later we had a call from his NEW health care coordinator who deemed shelton unfit to care for him. However he was sent to Castle Lodge in Dawley which is unusual as it is a site used for intervention when a patient relapses and reduces hospital admissions.
He was there three days before they deemed him too unwell and sent him to the local hospital The Princess Royal Hospital Telford.
He was there two weeks nothing was passed on to us other than he was refusing to eat. He was by this time under a section three and by common law could be force fed, given a drip or peg fed.
I was phoned at work by my spouse on Friday 1st May to say get to the hospital quick. Your Dad is really unwell. My spouse was crying clearly there was a problem and I rushed to the hospital as fast as I could. by this time it was quater to seven PM.
When I got to the ward and walked in I got the shock of my life. The man I had known all my life was reduced to skin and bone he took shallow breaths was covered in bruises. His skin was frail and grey. I left the room immediately to phone my spouse. I knew that it was not looking good for my Dad.
I sat there feeling terrible. That I had trusted these people to look after my father and clearly they had failed him in every aspect of his care. I put my hand on his spoke softly to him told him that he means the world to me that I was sorry for not being there when I should have been. Said I love you and a tear rolled down his face. His heart monitor started falling from 54bpm.
By the time it was 17 I had alerted hospital staff but his condition was to bad and I told them to not resusitate he was so thin and frail that it was wicked to continue.
I have no doubt that my dad was ill treated and starved to death in hospital. The man I had known all my life was a strong one. He was a good man and had his share of problems with battling drepession for so long.
I think people need to be made aware of the problems that others are facing, especially as his doctor, social services were all involved in his case, and it still fell straight through the net.