A WOMAN claims her elderly parents were let down badly by Basildon Hospital.

Tina Tuck, 52, says she was outraged when doctors in Accident and Emergency tried to send her dad home after failing to notice he was having a stroke, despite his slurred speech and being unable to stand unaided She called an ambulance for Ronald Bush, 78, on Sunday, November 3, after she visited him at his home in Noak Bridge and noticed he was seriously ill.

Mrs Tuck, of Hedgerow Court, was especially concerned as he was undergoing tests for kidney failure and had suffered a stroke back in 2011.

He was taken to hospital and assessed in A&E.

Despite explaining Mr Bush’s history to doctors, they insisted he was well enough to go home.

Mrs Tuck claims one sarcastic consultant allegedly told her: “If you think you’re the doctor, you diagnose him then.”

After complaining about her father’s treatment, he was finally transferred to the acute medical unit overnight, and when Mrs Tuck returned to visit the next morning she was told tests revealed Mr Bush had in fact suffered another stroke.

She said: “I knew there was something seriously wrong with my dad, but no one would listen to me.

“In my opinion, these doctors shouldn’t be in their jobs if they can’t do it properly.” At the same time, her mum, Edith Bush, who has severe dementia, was a patient on the Lionel Cosin ward after a nasty fall in a care home.

Mrs Tuck had already complained to the hospital after discovering nurses “gossiping” about Mrs Bush, 77.

She had fallen and knocked her head after being taken to the toilet on October 25, four days into her stay, but the nurse did not report the incident to the ward matron.

Her daughter only found out about the fall when she heard staff discussing it in full earshot of fellow patients and visitors.

They were complaining about Mrs Bush hitting and kicking out after she become distressed during the fall, but violent outbursts can be common in dementia sufferers.

Mrs Tuck said: “I can’t be the only person this has happened to. I just feel I’ve been dealt a really bad card.

“Things have been stressful enough because of mum’s illness and all of this is the last thing my dad needed, so the past few weeks have been a nightmare.”

HOSPITAL staff have met with Mrs Tuck to discuss her concerns and have launched an investigation into her parents’ care.

She has spoken to Rachel Webster, senior nurse for the Patient Advice and Liaison Service, and ward managers, who are working to give her the answers she wants after the treatment her mum and dad experienced.
 

A spokeswoman said: “Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is sorry Mrs Tuck is unhappy with the care both her mother and her father experienced while in our hospital.

“Mrs Tuck met with a matron on the day she raised concerns about her mother’s care, and we have apologised the care provided did not meet expected standards.

“We are fully investigating this incident and Mrs Tuck’s complaint about the care her father received in A&E.

“We are striving to provide all our patients with quality care and part of this is listening to their feedback.”