‘Mistreated’ Great-Grandmother Found Lying Dead In Her Bed, Hospital Staff Had No Idea She Died

The daughter of 99-year-old Winifred Philbin says her mother was “mistreated” and left in a “disgusting” condition at the Denbigh Infirmary. Janice Barrell, a palliative care nurse and daughter of Mrs. Philbin, said she found her mother lying dead in her bed and the hospital staff had no idea she died.

Mrs. Philbin’s family knew the great-grandmother was in extremely poor health and, after calling the hospital ward to check on the elder’s condition, the family decided to pay a visit.

Janice recalled what she found.

“Finding her deceased was a terrible shock. We arrived on the ward to find the curtains drawn around mom’s bed. We asked if she was being washed and staff told us no, so we went in.”

The Daily Post reported Janice’s shocking and sad discovery of her mistreated mother.

“Finding her deceased was a terrible shock, my brother and I were devastated. We were assured that she had been okay moments before but I’m afraid I just don’t believe this. Anyone could see that she was actively dying. I find it extremely sad that my mom had no one with her when she died. Nothing has been entered on her notes since 6 a.m. that morning.”

Mrs. Philbin was not taken care of properly, according to her daughter.

“Overall, I think the staff failed my mom badly. There were nice enough but lacked the necessary skills. My mom was longing for a shower and hair wash. This was a lady who had her hair washed and set every week and by the end, all she did was scratch. She was in obvious discomfort but no one seemed to notice.”

Ms. Barrell, who lives in Australia, said she had to ask for the equipment to wash the 99-year-old’s mouth herself. She added she was forced to throw away one of her mom’s night gowns because it was stained with dried vomit.

Janice told the Daily Post how disgustingly her mother was being treated.

“The day before my mom died, she was vomiting black fluid and at no stage was mouth care given. A nighty that we took home to wash was rolled in to a ball, wet, and covered in black vomit. In all my years as a nurse, I never sent an item home in such bad condition. We had to throw it away.”

Mrs. Philbin suffered from a broken femur caused by an accidental fall. She was admitted for physiotherapy and rehabilitation at the Denbigh Infirmary.

Before flying back home, Janice complained to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. She was told they could not investigate the claims of Mrs. Philbin’s mistreated condition because Janice is not the executor of her late mother’s estate.

In addition, Janice does not have a copy of Mrs. Philbin’s will and Janice’s name is not on the death certificate.

A spokesperson from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board made the following comment concerning the mistreated allegations.

“Due to patient confidentiality we are unable to comment on the care provided to individual patients. However, we can confirm that a formal concern has been received by the health board, which we’re in the process of investigating. We will contact Ms. Barrell directly to discuss her concerns.”

As far as Mrs. Philbin being mistreated by the hospital staff, her daughter had one more comment.

“Basic nursing care is universal. All patients deserve optimal care.”

[Feature image via Daily Post]