What makes a person powerful?

I have been awarded a Powerful Woman Writer Award so thank you very much to Deirdra Eden Coppel for that. It’s always exciting receiving a blog award and this one is no exception. It's great that someone has viewed my writing as powerful but it has set me off asking rather a lot of questions: 

If I am a powerful writer does that mean that I'm a powerful person? I certainly don't feel powerful. I’m stubborn, yes, and sometimes a tad stroppy, certainly... but powerful? I’ve submitted a strongly worded letter of complaint to the local hospital trust and it looks as if they’re making improvements based on my complaints but does that make me powerful?

So what exactly is a powerful person?

• Is power held only by those with wealth?
• or by people who are clever?
• or is it for those who stand firm with their head held high?

Is being a leader the same thing as being powerful?

• Do people become leaders because they can’t bear to see things not being done properly?
• Or because those around them feel confident in their abilities and so push them into the position?
• Or because they truly believe that they are better than anyone else?

Could it be that the most successfully powerful person is the one who does not wield that power like a sword, but spreads it out evenly among their peers creating a fine mesh of support for everyone?

Thanks again to Deirdra who not only gave me this impressive award but set me off thinking about the meaning of power, people and everything...

...and for those who are worried that I’m sounding a little too serious of late, I thought I’d let you know that it’s daughter’s birthday in a few days time, so we’ll be off for a day of pampering at the local spa. I may even blog about it!

  

There's a postman at the door!

Last week the advanced copies of my latest book arrived, A Children’s History of Leicester. I wasn’t expecting them. I had Mum on my mind, her extreme agitation and the beginnings of what we suspect could be cancer-related delirium. I had Rod on my mind, his run of infections following all that chemotherapy, and yet another course of antibiotics for him to take. And I had the new cats on my mind. The postman’s visit meant that the front door was open and the cats were still confined to quarters. In fact, the last thing on my mind was a delivery of books which made their arrival all the sweeter.

The cover was shiny, tactile, exciting. I turned the pages and felt that (almost) familiar thrill that I hope will never pall. All my words are there, all that research and writing, selecting and editing, but I had only ever seen them as black on sheets of white A4. Now the colour and illustrations have brought my words to life.

Two have already been placed on The Shelf. It may not be heaving with books quite yet but it’s starting to look almost respectable, don’t you think!

People are Frightened of Complaining

They say that the British are bad at complaining. We’d rather sip at cold soup than ask the waiter to return it to the kitchen, but when it comes to our health care we should be able to speak out. Since I sent a letter of complaint to the Leicester General Hospital about the negligence of my mother I have been amazed by people’s responses.

Many comments were along the lines of, 

“You are brave. When something similar happened to my mum I didn’t dare complain.”

Some said things like, 

“I do admire you. I was so exhausted by the experience I didn’t have the energy to complain.”

Others have made less encouraging comments like, 

“Well done for putting your head above the parapet but rather you than me.”

I don’t often feel passionate enough about an issue to raise my head quite this high but care of the frail elderly is one issue that I can’t ignore.

Readers of my blog will know that over the last few years I have, unfortunately, become a regular visitor of the Leicester Royal Infirmary, especially the Osborne Building. I have always been impressed by their high standards, particularly in the Bone Marrow Unit and the Haematology Wards. But seeing these areas of excellence has shown me that hospital wards can work and has further highlighted the low standards of care experienced by my mother at the Leicester General Hospital.

So has putting my head above the parapet done any good? I hope so. I have had several meetings with members of the Leicester NHS Trust, including Malcolm Lowe-Lauri, the Chief Executive, and what’s more they’ve listened to me and they’ve taken on board the two issues where I felt my input could make a difference.

To ensure that on each shift there is an easily identifiable nurse-in-charge working alongside the ward team.

To ensure that the hospitals’ complaints procedures are easily accessible and fear-free.

The first item has already been addressed. The Trust has initiated a big red Nurse in Charge badge to be worn by the Nurse in Charge of each shift. They have instigated daily Matron ward rounds at visiting times to ensure visitors and patients see the Matron and this is also expected of the Nurse in Charge.

The second item is not so easy. I’m still unclear about the difference between PALS and PILS but apparently PILS is the department to approach with complaints about Leicester hospitals. It stands for Patient Information Liaison Service and has a Freephone number 08081 788337.

I’ve also had a meeting this week with my local councillor, Andy Bayford, who is Chair of the Leicester Health Scrutiny Committee. (Yes, I have been very busy!) Cllr Bayford has promised to include the issue of hospital complaints on the agenda of his next Health Scrutiny Committee Meeting and I’ll be there to listen to the discussion.

But the big problem of fear still exists and I do understand why. I was harassed by the nurses the day after I made my first formal complaint, but my mother was hungry and dirty. I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Malcolm Lowe-Lauri has made a pledge to address this fear. I hope he’s successful.

We all have a basic right to complain. We should be insisting on zero tolerance to neglect in hospitals because if everyone who is affected complains, then together we will make a difference.

   

Adopting Cats

Two Grey Ladies

I’ve always had at least one pet in the house. I once had a dog, two cats, a rabbit, a gerbil and three hamsters. But now the house is silent. It’s almost six months since our darling dog, Josh, died and nearly two years since our elderly cat, Rosie, passed away. Coming down in the mornings is the worst. There’s no one to demand instant feeding, no one to trip me up as I make an early morning cut of tea, no one to wrap themselves round my arms as I check my emails.

I know I have a lot going on at the moment and it would be easy to not bother but as soon as I spoke to the lady at Leicester's RSPCA Animal Rescue Centre I knew the house wouldn’t be silent for long. She told me about two lady cats who had been in their cattery for a couple of months. They aren’t kittens and they’re not the confident ‘look at me’ type of cats so people had been passing them by. Even before I saw them I knew that they were about to be mine.

I must admit to being anxious as I was taken to meet them. What if they didn’t like me? When we were introduced I really couldn’t tell if they liked me or not. They were timid and withdrawn. One of them (I think it was Mabel) was so quiet that I asked if she was ill. I was assured that they were both healthy but were becoming increasingly depressed. By the time they were in the car they were both bright eyed and watching everything that was going on. Their energy levels rose still further as they explored their new home and now Charlie is asleep on the chair while Mabel (I think it’s Mabel) is rubbing up against my hand as I type this blog.

Aren’t they lovely? All I’ve got to do now is to work out which one is which!

   

A Hospital’s Ivory Tower

Solid wooden doors of polished oak, coffee served in china mugs. I’m no longer visiting ward 2 at the Leicester General Hospital. I’m in the domain of hospital management, the hospital’s ivory tower.

The Director of Nursing has invited me to meet with her. This is not to discuss my mother’s harrowing experience of hospital neglect which I wrote about here in my previous blog post. I’ll be meeting with the Board of the Trust to discuss that at a later date. This is a fact finding meeting to enable me to make sure that lessons really will be learned and changes really will be made.

The following day I have a telephone meeting with the Chief Executive of the Leicester NHS Trust. I have been trying to make contact with him since I first sent my complaint letter. We have a productive discussion around the two areas that I have identified, two areas where I am hoping that improvements can be seen to be made and can be monitored. The planning is still in its early stages but the two areas I’m targeting are:

Item 1:  To ensure that the nurse in charge of a ward is visible and available to both patients and visitors during each shift. 

Item 2:   To ensure that complaints are treated with urgency, respect and confidentiality.

The words are easy to type. The task is far tougher. I’m even having problems working out who is in charge of a hospital ward. I’ve been told that it’s a matron, a head nurse, a ward sister and/or a ward manager. So who exactly do I insist is visible and available to both patients and visitors? I’m starting to suspect that this is going to be a Kilimanjaro-style uphill struggle.

Item 2 proves to be even more of a problem. A complaints service must be respected by hospital users and not feared as it is by so many of the people who I have spoken to since my mother went into hospital. I’ve got to make sure that I fully understand the issues and ask for improvements that are demonstrable and quantifiable. Only then will this campaign succeed. I’m hoping to meet with the department as soon as possible.

Like I said, it’s a Kilimanjaro-style ascent, but I’m putting on my crampons, my oxygen mask is checked and packed, and I’ll keep you all posted as I climb.

    

Care for the Elderly Campaign

Thank you The Leicester Mercury for launching this campaign here. An abridged version of the following article is featured on pages 6 and 7 of today’s paper. 

(In case you don't know, The Leicester Mercury is Leicester’s excellent, local newspaper.)

I have transcribed below the full story of my awful experience_­, including the failure of PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) to deal with my complaints.

I am sickened by the appalling treatment experienced by my mother during her recent stay at the Leicester General Hospital. I have spoken to many people in the local community about this and sadly my mother’s case would appear not to be an isolated one. Changes need to be made. Future patients must be protected from this negligence.

My mother was admitted to the Leicester General Hospital in January 2011 with what we now know to be a large, inoperable tumour in her oesophagus. She is 88 years old with limited mobility and, due to her condition, was unable to even lift her arms up. She spent several days in the Emergency Medical Unit. She was immobile with a drip in her arm. The buzzer by her bed was broken. No one came when she needed to go to the toilet. She cried as she told me how she was left sitting in her urine for the best part of her first night there. When I visited on her second day in the ward, the nurse who was meant to be responsible for her didn’t even know who she was or why she was there.

Following the diagnosis of the tumour she was moved to Ward 2. There ensued a catalogue of neglect and I have chosen the following to illustrate my concerns:

• My mother picked up a diarrhoea bug in Ward 2 and was ill with this for two weeks. She lost a lot of weight and, especially as she is unable to eat any solids because of her condition, she became severely mal-nourished. I kept asking for her to be seen by a dietician but this took well over a week to organise.

• In spite of my continual complaints, her body smelt and she was left wearing nighties, vests and pants that were stained with faeces.

• The consultant prescribed steroids to be taken each morning but on the second day the pills took eight hours to come up from pharmacy.

• The consultant said that she must put her swollen feet up on a stool yet it took two days for the nurses to produce one for her. I asked the nurses on several occasions for a stool and one nurse was even so rude as to roll her eyes and turn away from me.

• A member of staff tipped a full bowl of soup over her but nobody would clean it off her feet and slippers. It was left to a visiting friend hours later to clean her up.

• A doctor made such a mess of trying to insert a needle into her left hand that he caused the hand and arm to swell to such an extent that she had to have her ring cut from her finger. It was still swollen three weeks later. The consultant tried to tell me it was caused by a canula that had moved around but this was not true. They never managed to fix one into that hand.

• I made a formal complaint to PALS, the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (I later discovered that it was in fact PILS). They organised a meeting for me with the consultant and the Ward 2 nurse-in-charge. When I turned up for the meeting I found my mother distraught, sitting in her own faceas, half-undressed. She had been pressing the buzzer for 45 minutes but no one had come. I repeatedly shouted for a nurse but there were none. After a further 5 minutes the consultant arrived, found a nurse to clean my mother and took me into a meeting room. I was satisfied that he had put right all my complaints regarding her medical care but the Ward 2 nurse-in-charge did not attend the meeting and by this time I was even more concerned about my mother’s care.

• I made a second complaint to PALS (or PILS) but received no further response from them. I did, however, receive a response from members of the nursing staff who complained to me, in front of my mother, saying that I should not have reported them.

By the end of January my mother’s general health and morale were so low that I knew I had to remove her from the hospital or she would die there. 

She was finally discharged from the Leicester General Hospital on 3^rd February, 2011 and is now in a lovely nursing home where they are not only caring for her original medical conditions but also for the problems caused by the hospital’s negligence. These include bedsores on her bottom, heel and elbow, an infection in her eye duct and a chesty cough. The bed sore on her elbow was assessed by the hospital as ‘red’. In fact, it was so bad that the nurses at the home spent over a week draining infected fluid from it.

I have written to Malcolm Lowe-Lauri, the Chief Executive of the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, informing him about this negligence. I have asked him for a promise of changes to be made. I have asked him to inform me of these changes as and when he makes them. Thankfully my mother is now in a caring and safe environment, the sort of environment that I used to think was offered by an NHS hospital. I would like some reassurance that the Leicester General Hospital can provide that environment for future patients.

I am more than prepared to continue with this complaint on my own but, sadly, I know that there are many other people in Leicester and Leicestershire who have had similar experiences. Some have told me that they were wary of complaining. Others have said that they were too exhausted with the worry of watching a member of their family being treated so badly to complain. Maybe as a group our voice will be louder. I am willing to organise a pressure group in Leicester to see changes made.

If you would like to add your name to the list of people supporting this campaign then please let me know in Comments below or email me on rosalind.kathryn @ googlemail.com. Thank you for your support.

Hospital Negligence – the start of a campaign

If you have access to a Leicester Mercury newspaper tomorrow (Saturday 19^th) or Monday then do please buy a copy because it will feature an article promoting my campaign for improvements to Leicester’s hospitals. I will be posting up the progress of the campaign as it develops. If you’ve had a bad experience in a Leicester hospital and want to join a pressure group to ensure that changes are being made, then please let me know. The pressure group will be set up and run with the support of Sir Peter Soulsby MP.

My Radioactive Week

Once the Leicester Mercury have launched the campaign I’ll be posting up more details, and discussing in more depth, the issues that I’m most concerned about regarding our hospitals, but for now I’m preoccupied with a radioactive week. 

It all began with newspaper reports about Monday night’s massive solar flare. Apparently radioactive material will be blasting towards Earth sometime today or tomorrow. In 1989 a similar event knocked out a power station in Quebec. Let’s hope it doesn’t do anything too horrible this time. I must admit to being rather excited about the prospect of it sending the Northern Lights our way. That would be an extraordinary experience, to see the aurora borealis from our back garden. I love looking at colours in the sky, not fireworks. I can’t understand why people enjoy having gunpowder exploding above their heads, but show me a rainbow and I’m ooohing and aaahing like a drunken sheep.

I’ve always loved rainbows. I blogged about them here but rainbows now remind me of the other radioactive part of my week. On Tuesday Mum started her five days of radiotherapy. In the entrance to the treatment room there is a large picture featuring a rainbow. It’s in pastel colours and has a peaceful feel to it. I don’t suppose Mum has noticed it. She has other things on her mind but while I’m sitting and waiting for each radiotherapy session to be over I’m looking at that picture and hoping it holds a promise of better things to come... and I can’t help thinking that if radioactivity can knock out a power station then it can knock out my Mum’s tumour too.

Please join my campaign for improving hospital conditions in Leicester. Either comment below or email me at rosalind.kathryn @ googlemail.com. Thanks.