Neglected Parkinson’s patient, 73, calls 999 for help… from his own hospital bed after being denied painkillers because he was ‘not a priority’
A pensioner left in excruciating pain has told how he had to call 999 for help from his own hospital bed, in one of the most distressing examples of the crisis in the NHS.
Martin Wild was admitted to Salford Royal Hospital last year after suffering a spinal infection following private surgery.
The 73-year-old was denied pain relief due to staff shortages and was even left lying in his own urine during his horrific eight-month stay in hospital, he claimed. Other patients nearby also screamed and shouted for help.
At one point, Mr Wild, who also has Parkinson’s, told his wife: ‘If I’m going to die in this hospital, let it happen quickly.’
A doctor who examined Mr Wild described him as ‘the most neglected patient I have ever seen’.
Martin Wild was admitted to Salford Royal Hospital last year after suffering a spinal infection following private surgery. The 73-year-old was denied pain relief due to staff shortages and was even left lying in his own urine during his horrific eight-month stay in hospital, he claimed. Other patients nearby also screamed and shouted for help
At one point, Mr Wild, who also has Parkinson’s, told his wife: ‘If I’m going to die in this hospital, let it happen quickly.’ A doctor who examined Mr Wild described him as ‘the most neglected patient I have ever seen’
Mr Wild, a former car salesman, was initially taken to Fairfield Hospital A&E in Bury on May 8, two weeks after surgery to treat spinal stenosis, an operation to narrow the spine. He was transferred to Salford Royal (pictured) hours later and admitted to an acute medical unit
An investigation by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, found his care caused him ‘serious harm’ and apologized for its shortcomings.
Mr Wild, a former car salesman, was initially taken to Fairfield Hospital A&E in Bury on May 8, two weeks after surgery to treat spinal stenosis, an operation to narrow the spine.
He was transferred to Salford Royal hours later and admitted to an acute medical unit.
Recalling his harrowing ordeal, Mr Wild added: ‘I asked for some pain relief. They said, “We have no authority to prescribe (an opioid).” I asked, “Can you get a doctor?”.
‘They said: ‘They are dealing with over a hundred patients, you are not a priority.’ I was in pain so I called 999.”
Mr Wild was eventually given painkillers after several calls to hospital receptionists.
He was later discharged despite warnings from medics that he was not feeling well enough and that he was not receiving adequate care at home.
But even after being readmitted days later, Mr Wild claimed his poor care in hospital continued.
“I was in so much pain, I was shaking, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone,” he told the Daily Mirror.
‘I said to my wife Lorraine, ‘I can’t take it anymore. If I have to die in hospital, let it happen quickly.’
In one grim incident, he also threw one of the three full bottles of urine on his table onto his bed after shaking so violently in pain.
Mr Wild claimed he had been left behind lying in urine-soaked sheets for hours before finally being changed.
After being transferred to a new department in September, Glyn Smurthwaite, an anesthetist, was called in by a colleague to assess Mr Wild.
“He was the most neglected patient I have ever seen in an acute setting in my 38 years in the medical field,” he said.
The retired doctor said it was clear Mr Wild had suffered because there had been no consultant to manage his care for months.
In one grim incident, he also threw one of the three full bottles of urine on his table onto his bed after shaking so violently in pain. Mr Wild claimed he was left lying in urine-soaked sheets for hours before they were finally changed
Mr Wild has said his experience has eroded his confidence in the healthcare system. “The NHS is not the NHS I thought it would be, I thought I would be looked after by people who care about me,” he added
Mr Wild’s wife Lorraine, a former nurse, also said she had to fight for the Northern Care Alliance to carry out a serious incident investigation into his treatment.
The investigation result initially described the care he received as causing moderate harm, but she fought to have it upgraded to severe harm.
Northern Care Alliance Chief Delivery Officer Judith Adams said changes have been made to “learn from Mr Wild’s experience” to ensure “every patient and their family receives appropriate and responsive care”.
But Mr Wild has said his experience has eroded his confidence in the healthcare system.
“The NHS is not the NHS I thought it would be, I thought I would be looked after by people who care about me,” he added.
Mr Smurthwaite also claimed he was ‘absolutely unhappy’ that cases like his would no longer occur.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care apologized “for what Mr Wild had to endure.”
It added a £2.4 billion plan to boost the long-term NHS workforce announced by the government last year.
Experts have been warning for some time the situation will only get worse, with the sick NHS stuck in an ‘eternal winter’ amid staff shortages and unprecedented demand.
New data released last week also exposed the ‘poor’ state of the NHS, with mMore than 40 percent of patients who went to A&E in England last year waited at least four hours before they could be seen.
This corresponds to approximately 900,000 per month.
It marks a fivefold increase in the space of a decade, illustrating the scale of the crisis that has seen patients forced to sleep on the floor or sit on trolleys in hospital corridors waiting for a bed.