A Carer's Experience of Medical Neglect

6 February 2002 - May 2009

I, (Iain Robertson Stewart, an ex-carer in Glasgow, Scotland), have created this site to hopefully bring to the attention of carers the trouble that I experienced in trying to get the medical fraternity to correctly address the health problems of my elderly mother. Since all knowledge is empowering, I believe that for carers to know of another carer's trials can help them to realise when the medical/caring professions are effectively working against the carer and the person being cared for.

In reproducing some of the correspondence that I exchanged with various bodies after my Mother's death in March 1998, I believe that the following account displays the disgraceful treatment of the elderly and of their carers within the United Kingdom.

From the Sunday Times article of 12 March 2000 reporting cruelty/neglect against elderly patients; my own misgivings regarding the circumstances surrounding my mother's care, especially in the last year of her life; and my belief that in the last five days in hospital there were serious failings on the part of the medical profession, I tried, in vain, to persuade the media to cover cases in detail. Apart from some journalists' cutting articles on the UK's treatment of the elderly, it seemed that the Press had the same mentality as the T.V. world in their looking for the next "soundbite".

Since various attempts of charitable bodies and myself to get the Press to take note of someone prepared to talk have proved fruitless, I have decided to use "THE NET".

The letters have similarities, but added details, as I gained more information and new questions in experiencing the hassle of the NHS Complaints Procedure and the acquiring of my Mother's case notes, which show the collusion of Doctors against me.

I consider that this United Kingdom is despicable in that it claims to be a Christian state but appears unaware of its blasphemous breach of the Fifth Commandment.

Honour thy father and thy mother:
that thy days may be long upon the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Index

1. Site Map/sitma.html - which provides direct access to any page.
2. Home/index.html - is this introductory page, with links to its three sub-articles.
3. Age Concern/ageco.html - is my letters with that Charity.
4. SundayTimes/melsun.html - is my letter to Melanie Phillips, columnist and author.
5. CNA/carnat.html - is my letter to Carers National Association with the sub-pages Carnats 1 to 12 accessed via the main letter's relative positions as new windows allowing them to be read in conjunction with the relative section of the main letter; directly from the text links at the bottom of the main letter and all sub-pages, or directly via the Site Map.
6. Ombudsman/ombus.html - is my complaint to that body. Text links are provided to the nine sub-pages containing the NHS complaints procedure of Local Resolution Stage 1 and Independent Review Stage 2, followed by the complaint to the Health Ombudsman; my comments on same; and the final letter to the Ombudsman.
7. Media/medarts.html - is a selection of articles in the press which could be researched. Articles that are available online are indicated.
8. Links/linpag.html - provides image and text links to social network, directories, search engines and social comment sites. A droplist further provides related carers, charity sites and other search engines.

Select a sub-page article.
Article 1  Article 2 Article 3

Navigation through the site is simple. It is a logical progression in the order of the top and bottom provided navigation bars. On the Home page sub-pages, the bottom Back and Next buttons cycle through the sub-pages, with the Back button on Article 1 returning to the Home page and its Next button to Article 2, while the Back button on Article 2 returns to Article 1 and its Next button to Article 3. The same cycling continues with the next button on Article 3 returning to Age Concern on the seven main pages.

In each CNA sub-page, the button at bottom right returns you to the relative position in the main CNA letter page which gives access to the sub-page in a new window.

Within the Ombudsman sub-pages, the bottom Back and Next buttons cycle through the sub-pages, with the Back button on Local 1a returning to the Ombudsman page, and the Next button on Final returning to Media on the seven main pages.