Bed-bound patients were told to “soil themselves” in a busy A&E department because there were not enough staff to take them to the toilet, according to a new report.
One desperate patient urinated in a bottle without any privacy curtains at Medway Maritime Hospital in Kent, according to the report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Some were left in soiled clothing and bedding for “hours,” according to the report.
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 new CQC report states: “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 saw “a patient passing urine into a bottle with no privacy curtains.”
The report adds: “Patients were stranded in ED [emergency department] for 50 hours or more, with no access to wash facilities.
“There was a lack of pillows and blankets for patients, including those located on trolleys close the ambulance entrance and patients were left in their soiled clothing, and medications not given.”
One patient told inspectors they were “so cold” but had not been given any blankets.
Inspectors also met a patient waiting on a chair in the corridor who had been in the corridor for 55 hours.
Staff described how there was a shortage of qualified nursing staff working which resulted in delays to patient care.
One patient contacted the CQC and said that, “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 improvements.
The trust which runs the hospital said that it had made “significant improvements” over the last year.
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.”
