Liverpool hospital sorry for ‘unacceptable’ care of dementia patient

A hospital has offered its “sincere apologies” to the family of a dementia patient who was “left for hours in his own urine and faeces”.

Khawaja Anwar, 82, was admitted to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital on 3 February after a fall in which he broke two bones in his pelvis.

His family complained over Mr Anwar’s “unacceptable” lack of care and said he was “humiliated” by some carers.

The hospital said “patient care is our top priority” and is investigating.

Mr Anwar’s wife Nargis made a formal complaint to the hospital after she noticed the conditions her husband had to sleep in.

She said: “The physio came and started to help him to move him so he could sit on the edge of the before standing him up.

“I saw dry excrement on his gown and it was clear it had been there for some time. I told the nurse that he is wet and dirty and needs cleaning.”

Mr Anwar’s son, Aamer, said the standard of care given to his father was “simply unacceptable”.

“There was another occasion where my father vomited and the auxiliary nurse just sat and watched and did nothing to help my mother clean him up.

“Just because somebody gets old and lies in a bed and might get dementia doesn’t mean that they don’t know how people are dealing with them.”

He added: “The NHS is under real pressure, people do very difficult jobs in difficult circumstances, but what these individual members of staff failed to do was a betrayal to the NHS and the values it’s supposed to represent.”

Colin Hont, deputy chief nurse, said: “I have personally spoken to Mr Anwar’s family about the concerns they have raised and given them our sincere apologies.

“Patient care is our top priority. We have taken steps to address the family’s areas of concern and have put in place a detailed care plan for Mr Anwar.”