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Health: Leeds family demands action over the 'forgotten' wards
A stroke patient's family have demanded action over standards of care in a "forgotten" part of a Leeds hospital.
Ken Birdsall's relatives were so appalled at his treatment in Beckett Wing at St James's Hospital, they asked their MP to intervene.
They claim at night just two nurses are on duty to care for 30 patients.
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Mr Birdsall, who is paralysed down one side, says during his four-week stay he has been left:
* Shivering because of heating problems during freezing weather;
* Unable to contact staff after his drip came out and he was bleeding;
* Waiting nearly two hours to be helped to the toilet;
* Lying in soiled bedding which his family had to clean up;
* Not able to have a bath because a bathroom was being used for storage.
Mr Birdsall, of Seacroft, Leeds, said: "It gets you down. I am getting really anxious."
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The 65-year-old got so distressed at one point that he wanted to discharge himself from hospital.
His wife Linda, 62, added: "It's terrible. I've been in tears."
Mrs Birdsall and her sister Christine Tempest say staff are doing their best – but there aren't enough of them.
"It takes two of them to lift and hoist these patients. Most cannot do anything for themselves," Mrs Tempest said.
"Nurses say to me it's the forgotten part of the hospital."
Mr Birdsall became ill at home in the early hours of December 22.
The retired engineer was admitted to St James's, where he has been on three wards and is currently on ward 29.
Mrs Tempest contacted George Mudie, Labour MP for Leeds East, who asked Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to address the problems urgently.
Mr Mudie told the YEP he was pleased some parts of Mr Birdsall's treatment had improved but added: "I am outraged by the experience my office has had in trying to get this matter dealt with."
A Leeds Teaching Hospitals spokesman said they had received a formal complaint and has launched an investigation.
He apologised for a "short-term problem" with heating which meant the system had to be turned off temporarily while it was fixed and said extra heaters were provided.
The spokesman said staffing levels on ward 29, which include nurses and healthcare assistants, were in line with others in the Trust.
The YEP understands that there are normally two nurses and two health assistants working during the night.
But the spokesman added: "We acknowledge we have seen heightened levels of sickness and staffing levels remain under weekly review."
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Weather for Leeds
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
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