LETTER: Dementia care non-existent in hospital

My father has recently had numerous admissions to the above-mentioned hospital - not on ward 1 however - and the dementia care is nonexistent! The staff have no interest in looking at the “whole” patient and half the time they are not even aware of the names of the patients on their particular ward.

My father was supposedly refusing to eat but he wasn’t actually aware of what he was saying no to. He needed his meals cut up and within easy reach so he could process what he actually needed to do. This was not done by any members of staff.

He was also taken for a scan but this was abandoned as he could not answer the questions effectively. The staff had been informed his family have power of attorney so these issues do not occur.

There were other issues but I think these make the point required.

There is a massive need for all hospital staff to have a major understanding of the needs of people with dementia. My father was lucky in the fact his family actually realised there were serious issues and made sure they were addressed. More worrying is the fact as to what would have happened if he had no family to fight in his corner.

Anonymous