Man mistreated in Salisbury Hospital as carers forget to feed him

Stephen Dugdale, who lives in Tidworth, was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday, August 8, for an operation to have two kidney stones removed.

These 1.5cm and 3cm stones were discovered "accidentally" this year from a scan photograph taken in 2021.

But upon arriving in the 20-bed acute surgical Britford Ward, Mr Dugdale was neglected by overnight care assistants who "forgot" to feed him and refused to change his bedding, despite it being wet-through with sweat.

The 46-year-old, who has spent 14 years in the Army, told the Journal: "I have been in some hard places but that place nearly beat me.

"A health inspector would have a field day as soon as they walked into a ward."

Mr Dugdale said from the hours of 7pm until 7am staff changes meant some of the qualified nurses were replaced with care assistants who were "more interested in ticking boxes than helping patients".

These assistants told elderly patients to "shut up and stop pressing the buzzer" and one patient waited for help in a pool of urine for more than five minutes while another screamed how he "just wanted to die", according to Mr Dugdale.

Mr Dugdale had multiple unused cannulas left in his arm and hand for hours. (Image: Stephen Dugdale)

One night he was offered four pills that were intended for someone else and he also fainted due to dehydration.

Mr Dugdale was discharged from Salisbury District Hospital on Friday, August 11, with a catheter bag that was blocked and not working.

Roughly six hours passed and the bag was still empty so Mr Dugdale called 999. Paramedics confirmed that the bag was broken and he was taken to A&E where he passed 900ml of urine.

"I could have died from it," he said.

"I did not want to go back, I was scared. I requested to move wards and was put in Downton but had the same quality of care."

Care assistants forgot to feed Mr Dugdale for a second time and he was helping himself to new bedding as and when he needed it due to excessive sweating.

"Before I had this operation I was alright. Now I feel about 90 years old and I have no energy within me," he added.

Mr Dugdale's wound dressing was drenched with sweat and went unchanged. (Image: Stephen Dugdale)

A spokesperson for Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are unable to comment on any patient care in detail. However, our staffing levels are reviewed twice daily, and we currently have no concerns with the two wards mentioned.

"We also monitor our care quality via several different systems. If a formal complaint is made, we will of course be fully investigating the situation.”

Mr Dugdale felt "over the moon" when it was time to leave the hospital on Monday morning (August 14). He said: "I'm supposed to go back in September but I'm not going. My trust has gone.

"Salisbury Hospital needs to be looked at in a big way. I just feel sorry for the people in there."