Channel 4, Friday 4.25am
Dispatches goes undercover to investigate nursing standards and care of vulnerable elderly patients in two busy NHS hospitals. Two experienced nursing assistants wear hidden cameras inside their uniforms for three months: for the first time nurses are investigating nurses.
What they discover is a damning catalogue of inefficiency, neglect and sub-standard treatment that clearly compromises patient care. Secret filming captures numerous incidents of shocking and unacceptable practices, from a lack of basic hygiene and failure to implement adequate measures to protect patients against the MRSA superbug, to the tragedy of forgotten patients left to lie in their own urine and faeces. The film illustrates how the morale of dedicated nursing staff is crushed by the behaviour of their colleagues, suggesting a profession in crisis and failing to provide the basic levels of care we have come to expect.
If you're unhappy with the standard of care that you, or someone you know, have received in hospital and you want to know how to make a complaint, the following organisations and websites can provide advice and information.
Dispatches goes undercover to investigate nursing standards and care of vulnerable elderly patients in two busy NHS hospitals. Two experienced nursing assistants wear hidden cameras inside their uniforms for three months: for the first time nurses are investigating nurses.
What they discover is a damning catalogue of inefficiency, neglect and sub-standard treatment that clearly compromises patient care. Secret filming captures numerous incidents of shocking and unacceptable practices, from a lack of basic hygiene and failure to implement adequate measures to protect patients against the MRSA superbug, to the tragedy of forgotten patients left to lie in their own urine and faeces. The film illustrates how the morale of dedicated nursing staff is crushed by the behaviour of their colleagues, suggesting a profession in crisis and failing to provide the basic levels of care we have come to expect.
If you're unhappy with the standard of care that you, or someone you know, have received in hospital and you want to know how to make a complaint, the following organisations and websites can provide advice and information.