Has any one had any 'experiences' with Darenth Valley Hospital or 'Death Valley Hospital' as it is becoming known as ?
The Press and BBC kent have been made aware of a number of issues especially with the 'care' of the elderley following the scathing report from the Health Ombudsman recently .
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cheeky c***
You only hear about hospital when someone has a complaint on they cock up.
I see it as a Kent version on QE Woolwich!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
have you got a link for any of this info?
Fair point, however we only ever hear about the one or two bad things, like anything the majority of good work goes unnoticed, and I can only speak from personal experience. I would also add that you could mention any hospital and you will get the same comments from people, ie crap, left my old nan waiting, no pain relief, etc. etc. the reality is Hospitals are short of staff and money and are over subscribed.
One of my mates company insurance paid for him to have a knee op at Fawkham Valley private hospital a few years back, he had a nightmare there!!
The problem is that to prove negligence you need a second medical opinion and doctors are notoriously reluctant to testify against other doctors except in the most blatantly clearcut situations.
There but for the grace of God and all that.
And to pre-empt the "Forum Police" cries of "SOURCE" a verbal opinion from a solicitor I spoke to.
EDIT: In case of legal ramifications I should add that I was not discussing Darenth Valley Hospital but another one.
Niekrash
St Marys hit and miss. Very very good at the level of serious support but awful re the after care and if your old dont go there. My Mum died in there lastyear after oover three months of illness and i dont think they gave a rats arse.Even with our family on their case they just didnt seem as if they had a clue.
Fair point, however we only ever hear about the one or two bad things, like anything the majority of good work goes unnoticed, and I can only speak from personal experience. I would also add that you could mention any hospital and you will get the same comments from people, ie crap, left my old nan waiting, no pain relief, etc. etc. the reality is Hospitals are short of staff and money and are over subscribed.
One of my mates company insurance paid for him to have a knee op at Fawkham Valley private hospital a few years back, he had a nightmare there!![/quote]
Please remember that because you have had a good experience, it also doesn't mean that it is the norm for that hospital. It could also be a one off, the same way you think a bad experience coud be for others.
Since QM Sidcup A&E closed and the staff moved to other Hospitals, the level of care has slightly improved, but not to a great level.
I know of many first hand horror stories of both DVH & QE (A&E & Delivery suite) and all I can say is that I would NEVER be treated at either Hospital A&E dept and I consider many of the staff as friends and workmates!
Ok !
"I see it as a Kent version on QE Woolwich!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "
that might be a record.
The sunday mirror run an article about my father's treatment a month ago and since then BBC kent have contacted me and were interested in running a story, because in their own words " we have had loads of complaints about DV' . but for whatever reason they didn't turn up at my house for the arranged interview .
I have been contacted today by a family who's dad died in the same ward as my father mine did and almost exactly the same mistakes were made. he went in mentally fit and well but with a fractured hip and within 6/7 weeks he was dead of malnutrion, confused frightened and disorientated.
As for my own story the hospital have promised an full investigation and are threatening to come see me . but that was 6 weeks ago and I am still waiting.
My advice to all is if your elderley relative breaks a hip and goes into hospital , after the operation GET THEM OUT of there asap no matter what it takes and no matter what they say.
Those whom you speak to ( doctors and surgeons ) are not the same people who 'look after' them post op.............before you know it it will be too late and you will feel guilty for the rest of your life .
If you dont believe me, read the Health Ombudsman Report published two months ago Mrs Ann Abrahams which was a scathing attack on the NHS and the care of the elderley
sorry for the rant
Up the addicks
Oh really , Not sure how to get anything done to be honest , the hospital is a closed shop and blame lack of resources etc. I wrote to the Ombudsman after they published their scathing report , and she rang me to say she had hundreds and hundreds of complaints , my dad's case was not unusual in any way. the only reason the sunday mirror ran with it was because dad was a D Day veteran and liberated Belsen and ended up like one of the inmates.
I can let you know the contact at the Sunday mirror , but to be honest its yesterdays news sadly..........I was horrified today talking to that lady from Bexleyheath who just lost her father only recently, same ward same circumstances etc
whisper me if you need any other info
Not unique to that hospital sadly.
On the day she died I asked if they could sedate her to give her some relief from her pain, but was told it was not ethical - I believe it is not ethical to leave someone crying in pain - you wouldn't treat an animal like that.
When she was a patient there, my mother-in law had to beg to have her bandages done so she could get into bed. I know the staff are overworked and but this should not be happening. Nursing care was not good and a lot of the nurses seem to think that as they have degrees, giving basic nursing care is beneath them.
On another occasion whilst visiting, none of the antibacterial dispensers at the main entrance were working and I asked the staff on reception to do something. Nothing had been done when we came out an hour and a half later - they were still empty. When I spoke to the staff again, they did not seem interested and just shrugged as if to say it isn't my job.
Unfortunately you are made to feel that it might come back on the patient if you make a complaint and after someone dies you are not in the right frame of mind to complain. I'm sure many more people would complain if they felt that it would do any good.
I'm afraid that several people I know have had very bad experiences at DVL.
The weirdest thing was that this lady who contacted me recently following the sunday mirror article about dad , said she had looked up the local telephone directory trying to find me ( my name was in the article ) and there were two of same name ( not me though I am ex directory). She rang the first one and said she was trying to trace the person who's father had died in the Death valley hospital , and the person that "No it wasn't them" , but his daughter had just lost a baby in delivery at the same hospital and they were sueing them because they had crushed the babies skull with forceps during the birth !!!!
that sounds horrific ME14 but sadly typical, i could fill this website with things they did to my dad. The thing is you trust them at first until you see whats going on and then often its too late .
I am currently waiting for the director of Nursing to come to see me as promised , but its been 7 weeks since her letter and I am still waiting, a bit like being in the ward really , except I am not in pain , not physically anyway .
She went to Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford before she was admitted to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
The trust said the UK was rabies-free and staff would be unlikely to consider rabies unless a patient reported wild animal contact in an at-risk country.
Doctors responded to information given by the patient at the time, it added.
The woman, who has not been identified, had been bitten by a dog in south Asia.
In a statement, the Kent NHS trust said some hospital staff members were being vaccinated against the potentially fatal disease.
Hospital probe
It said: "Although there are no cases of rabies being passed by human-to-human contact, the five members of staff that came into close contact with the patient are being vaccinated as a precautionary measure."
The trust also said an investigation had begun into the circumstances around the patient's attendance at the emergency department.
It said it was also working closely with the Health Protection Agency (HPA).
Rabies is usually transferred through saliva from the bite of an infected animal, with dogs being the most common transmitter of rabies to humans.
More than 55,000 people are thought to die from rabies each year, with most cases occurring in south and south-east Asia.
Professor David Brown, a rabies expert at the HPA, said only four cases of human rabies acquired from dogs, all from abroad, had been identified in the UK since 2000.
This hospital killed my nan in December.
Staff too busy bonking in their cars. Nice to know as I'm moving nearby in a couple of weeks!
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/health/health/4334962/Charlies-lost-his-mum-because-medics-missed-signs-of-pre-eclampsia-Worrying-rise-of-the-condition-in-the-UK-affecting-up-to-30000-people-in-the-UK-each-year.html