By Ronan O’reilly Published: 18:01 EDT, 31 October 2024 | Updated: 20:01 EDT, 31 October 2024
A SENIOR midwife who has led reviews into NHS shortcomings spoke of her disgust yesterday at how her daughter was treated in hospital.Donna Ockenden told how she had to help patients during recent trips to A&E with her daughter Phoebe, who has epilepsy and was having seizures.On one visit to the emergency department, Phoebe was left in a chair on her own for seven hours.Ms Ockenden, 58, who was appointed to investigate maternity care failings in the NHS, said the care her 20-year-old daughter received was ‘disgraceful’, adding: ‘It was Phoebe’s third attendance in A&E in the last weeks.’During the first two I was with her and I was her advocate. It was still pretty rubbish. Donna Ockenden (pictured) has spoken with disgust of how her daughter was treated on a recent visit to A&E Ms Ockenden, 58, pictured above with her 20-year-old daughter Phoebe, was appointed to investigate maternity care failings in the NHS Ms Ockenden says that her daughter Phoebe (pictured) was left in a chair on her own for seven hours whilst suffering from seizures’But for the third I was in Dubai on holiday and woke up to messages about Phoebe being in A&E.’Despite her learning disabilities and being known to the service she was dropped off in the waiting room on her own. She is 20 but she is really vulnerable, and was left in a chair for seven hours still having some seizures.’Initially she was left in the waiting area on her own – it’s just unspeakable, it’s absolutely disgusting and disgraceful.’Ms Ockenden, who has worked in the Health Service for more than 40 years, said she felt treating people in corridors had become normalised after seeing notices indicating where patients wait on trolleys.She also told how she ended up ‘actually providing care for other patients on trolleys’ on the two occasions she was with Phoebe.Ms Ockenden, from West Sussex, led a review into maternity services at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and is leading the probe into maternity care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. She did not name the hospital involved in her daughter’s care.The Department for Health and Social Care said: ‘Phoebe’s experience is unacceptable and is symptomatic of our broken NHS.’The Chancellor has announced a £22.6billion injection into the NHS to get it back on its feet so it can be there for all of us once again.’
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Top midwife slams ‘disgraceful’ A&E treatment of sick daughter after she was left in chair on her own while still having seizures for seven hours