Elderly patient left on bedpan for days

I'm from Sydney, Australia and the incident occurred in a major acute care hospital with a brilliant record for trauma care, including a nationally recognised burns unit.

It's my understanding that the patient in question was in ICU for a number of days before being transfered to CCU (where it is alleged the incident occurred) and was discovered when he was moved to the respiratory ward.

I can't comment on the number of days, suffice to say that the hospital has now said that the incident DID happen but that 5 days is an exaggeration (after originally denying the incident occurred at all.) I can comment and say that other students that I was working with during that week were on the respiratory ward that he was transfered to and SAW the pressure wounds with their own eyes. Hole at the bottom of his spine big enough for fists is apparently an accurate description.

To those that have said everyone in hospital should be fired or that the hospital should be closed down, I can understand where you're coming from. However, how logistical is it to close down a major hospital (including it's OR services, trauma services, investigative and outpatient services as well as the basic ward care, pathology, imaging, the blood bank etc?) This place is HUGE and provides care to thousands of people on a daily basis!

Those who have commented on the role of nursing aids in this situation - they are rarely employed in the acute care setting in the way Americans are used to. It is the RNs duty to toilet, turn, bath and change their patients sheets, along with the rest of her duties. We, for the most part, don't have aids to delegate to!

On a final note, the story goes that the incident occurred in CCU. I have a lot of personal experience with this particular CCU as my great auntie was a patient there twice in four months for extended periods of time before being transfered to ICU and passing away a day later. This level of care, described in the article, I would NOT put past some of the staff (most of the staff) on this unit. My aunt had no teeth - they sent up full meals (not puree) which she couldn't eat. My aunt required feeding due to massive SOB and general exhaustion. She was never fed by staff unless I or my family were there and WE did it. Family members were often ignored by staff when changes in our aunt's condition were pointed out (increased drowsiness and confusion, which on a known CO2 retainer is obviously a sign of CO2 overload, which also caused her death) and we were often treated very disrespectfully by staff for simply being there with her as loving, supportive family members. (We certainly did not behave in the way "those" annoying family members have been described to do. We simply kept her company because she was frightened, and because we realised that she was not receiving optimum care.)

& to everyone who has experienced something tragic as a result of staff negligence, I am truly sorry.