Bed-bound patients in a busy A&E department were “told to soil themselves” because no staff were available to take them to the toilet, a shocking report reveals. Following an inspection, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) concluded that Medway Maritime Hospital in Kent “did not protect the privacy and dignity of patients”.
Inspectors described how a patient had been forced to wait for 55 hours on a chair in a corridor at the hospital, which is run by Medway Foundation Trust. And patients described waiting two days or more for a bed in the hospital. Some staff said they did not feel safe raising concerns while some nurses “lived in fear of punishment from senior leaders”. The CQC report said: “Patients, relatives and staff contacted us prior to the assessment process to tell us that staff did not always protect patients from degrading experiences.
“Examples included frail patients who could not get up and take themselves to the toilet were left to soil themselves and left in soiled clothing and bed clothes for hours.
“Staff reported that frail, bed-bound patients had been told to soil themselves because there were not enough staff to take them to the toilet.”
During the visit, inspectors also witnessed a patient passing urine into a bottle with no privacy curtains.
The report also noted a lack of access to wash facilities for those “stranded” in the emergency department, and a lack of pillows and blankets.
Some patients were “left in their soiled clothing, and medications not given”, it added. One patient who contacted the CQC said: “Staff were crying on the phone for help, no one seemed to turn up.”
Urgent and emergency services at the hospital were rated as “requires improvement” following the CQC inspection in February last year and it issued a warning notice to the trust, demanding certain changes.
Jayne Black, chief executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are very sorry that despite the best efforts of our hard-working staff, at the time of the last February’s inspection the inspection team found that our care fell below the standard that everyone should expect in their time of need.
“Over the last year we have made significant improvements so that patients attending our emergency department are treated sooner, are cared for in areas more suitable for their needs, and receive appropriate and compassionate care.
“We recognise there is much more for us to do, particularly to reduce delays for patients waiting to be admitted to a ward, so that every patient receives the high standard of care that we aspire to provide.
“Staff throughout the hospital continue to work tirelessly, together with our ambulance, community and social care partners, to reduce delays and improve care for all for patients attending our emergency department.”