"Worrying concerns" as Rotherham Hospital offers to investigate complaints

And they have also said they are prepared to examine allegations that a second elderly male was left alone in a side ward all day, without a drink.

The comments about care at the Moorgate Road site were made by relatives to the health and social care champion, Rotherham Healthwatch, who described them as "worrying concerns."

The hospital administration says they had not been informed of the details.

A woman complainant said: "My husband was kept in bed the majority of the time in hospital and as a consequence, on discharge, he now cannot stand or walk.

"This is a very big problem for us as we are quite elderly and I cannot now have him home or look after him, so consequently he has had to go into a care home which does not suit either of us.

"He should be at home. He is now awaiting an assessment. I 100 per cent put this down to a lack of attention and therapy whilst an inpatient. Cost of care is very worrying for me.”

A spokesperson for the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust told the Advertiser they were unaware of a specific complaint but encouraged "the patient, or those close to them, to contact our patient experience team so we can investigate the concerns formally.”

A second complainant told how: "My elderly partner was ignored and left in a side room without a drink all day.

"It took me four hours to get his pads changed. His expensive hearing aids were discarded with the sheets.

The Trust says efforts are made to avoid the decline of patients' physical function due to inactivity or bed rest.

“Patients in hospital for a long time can be at risk of deconditioning which is why we try and ensure patients are not kept in hospital any longer than they need to be," they said.

"Our multi-professional teams work together to ensure nurses, doctors and therapists prioritise person-centred care.

"This includes a focus on hydration, nutrition and mobilising as much as possible. We assess what care all our patients need before discharge.”

The spokesperson said they were not aware of any official complaint.

"We encourage anyone who has a concern or complaint to speak to the matron for the ward/department at the time of concern so that we can put things in place before it becomes a bigger complaint.

"Patients and visitors can visit our Patient Advice and Liaison Service to discuss concerns in person so we can address them quickly.

"The hospital's performance has been increasingly positive, reflecting our concerted efforts to enhance service delivery and patient outcomes. We appreciate the dedication, skill and commitment of our staff as we strive to provide the best possible care to our patients and meet the evolving needs of our community.”

The Healthwatch team has been told of long waiting times, one interviewee telling them: "I'm waiting for an operation at Rotherham Hospital and have been told it could be a year.”

Another said: "I had right eye surgery in October. The nurse said I would be put on the waiting list for my left eye. I rang the booking clerk [and was told it] was likely to be March. I am really struggling."

Asked about the general situation of waiting times, the Trust said they had achieved the national target of no 65-week waits for patients awaiting treatment and "continue to improve the waiting times across the board.

"We have made significant progress in improving our elective care waiting times over the past year.

“Waiting times vary across specialities. Where waiting times are longer, the Trust has taken specific action to increase capacity available to get patients seen and treated.

“The Trust continues to see overall improvement in Referral to Treatment times as a result of the actions we are taking to reduce waits for both outpatients appointments and elective surgery.”