They are designed to offer us privacy and comfort when we are most vulnerable – sick or injured and often alone in hospital.
But the thin, bleak curtains designed to shield patients from their surroundings don’t always shield them from cruel barbs or callous comments from medics — as some heartbroken patients have found.
A MailOnline reader recounted their horrific stories in great detail, telling how her father was diagnosed with cancer after hearing scrappy nurses refer to him as “the one with leukaemia”.
Another story revealed how parents were forced to endure the laughter of staff as they said their last goodbyes to their dying child.
Some callous comments were so devastating that one family said their loved one almost lost the will to live.
A family said goodbye to five-year-old son Muhammad Ayaan Haroon as medical staff laughed in the background in the same room at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
The father said there was only a thin curtain between the smiling doctors and nurses who had previously treated Ayaan as they watched him take his last breath.
Muhammad Ayaan Haroon: The staff laughed when my son died
Muhammad Ayaan Haroon’s grieving parents have shared how hospital staff laughed when their son’s life support was cut off.
Only a thin curtain stood between them and the smiling paramedic as they watched their son take his last breath.
Ayaan was admitted to Sheffield Children’s Hospital on March 5 with breathing problems.
He had a history of respiratory disease and a rare genetic condition called Hace 1 that caused developmental delays. He died on March 13.
His father, Haroon Rashid, a taxi driver and father of four, said: “When the plane was turned off at 2.30am, there were many family members.
“There was laughter from the staff. We were so excited.
“There was no one on the hall except the staff and another small child behind our curtain.”
Mr Rashid, 41, added: “Staff were sure Ayaan’s machine would be switched off. They kept laughing after my relative asked them to stop.
“A child’s life has come to an end.”
Officials at Sheffield Children’s Hospital have promised a “thorough” investigation into the family’s claims.
Robert Arthur Venson: “The One with Leukemia”
Hearing, “You have cancer” is one of the scariest things one can ever hear. Hearing raises a thousand other questions. How far did it spread? Can it be treated? i die
Such a conversation should always be private, with a doctor willing to guide the patient through the questions and provide answers that are both honest and compassionate.
But that was not the case for Robert Venson, 75, who was a senior official at British Telecom.
Robert Arthur Venson of Portsmouth died of leukemia in 1997 aged 75
Gail Hugman, 70, from Essex, revealed the very sad story of how her father, Mr Venson, first found out about his diagnosis
As Essex native Gail Hugman reflected on her father’s death in 1997, she revealed the shocking reality of how he learned of his diagnosis.
The now 70-year-old said: “He was waiting to find out what was going on with him.
And as he lay in bed waiting for his diagnosis. He heard the nurses talking and one said, ‘Oh, he has leukemia.’
“That’s how he found out he had acute myeloid leukemia.
“He later got his official diagnosis from the doctor who said he would be dead in three months if they didn’t do anything.
She added that when he heard the nurses, Mr Venson, from Portsmouth, turned white as a sheet.
Laura Higginson: “She’s definitely a cokehead”
Before her death in 2017, Laura Higginson from Cambridge spent five years in and out of hospital.
She had a condition called Gitelman syndrome, a kidney dysfunction that causes an imbalance of minerals in the body, causing fatigue, muscle weakness and palpitations. This meant that she needed a lot of personal attention.
Battling a rare disease is hard enough, but it can be made even harder when NHS workers blame your symptoms on a suspected drug addict.
Her family claims her was torn down “brick by brick” by gossiping nurses and doctors who they say delivered a cruel verdict on the would-be lawyer while she was inches away fighting for her life.
Laura, a trainee solicitor, was diagnosed with Gitelman syndrome in 2012
her husband dr. Antony Higginson, a computer science expert, claimed doctors accused his then 25-year-old wife of being a “cookhead” and “made up” her symptoms.
The ex-Widnes soldier told MailOnline: “The counselor said: ‘She’ll put it back together, give her some painkillers and get her out of here as soon as possible.’ Laura heard him send her away.
“Another time we were in the ER and a doctor pulled the curtain, turned around and said, ‘She’s obviously a cokehead.
“When he came back to us, he asked her if she was on drugs or starving. And she said, “I just heard you say you think I’m a cokehead.”
She looked at me like, “What’s the point of going to the hospital if everyone thinks I’m starving myself and I’m a drug addict and I’m making it up again”.
“It tore them apart stone by stone.”
Laura died in 2017 at the age of 30 from sepsis and multiple organ failure.
Margaret Thomson: “Don’t Revive”
Margaret Thomson was inches away from doctors as they allegedly debated whether trying to save her would require CPR.
The 81-year-old from Scotland was admitted to hospital after suffering a stroke.
“Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation” (DNACPR) is a phrase doctors use when they decide not to resuscitate a patient if their heart has stopped.
Emma’s grandmother, Margaret Thomson, died aged 81 after a difficult recovery from a stroke in 2019
When deciding whether a patient should receive a DNSCPR notification, he or his family should be involved in the decision.
But according to the NHS, the decision can be made by your doctor, even if you don’t agree.
A DNACPR notice is typically given when a doctor believes that CPR is unlikely to be successful or may even seriously affect the patient’s quality of life.
Typically, patients receive end-of-life care with this notification.
Margaret’s granddaughter Emma Thomson, 33, from Essex, said: “I feel old people don’t care. They are not getting the care they should be getting.
“It’s almost like they think they’re going to die soon, so they don’t really bother.
“This is the experience I have had with my grandparents for the last four years.
“When my grandmother was in the hospital, they talked about things like DNR behind the curtain and she heard things like that.”
Emma also has her own experience of caring in the NHS, having worked as an administrative assistant at a hospital in 2020.
Reflecting on her own health care experience, she revealed an incident where a physical therapist treated a patient atrociously.
She said: “There was a man who had a serious brain injury and was in rehabilitation. He would make very loud noises all day.
The physical therapist came over and said, “Shut up, shut up, shut up.”
“This employee was often like this and I had to complain about him.
“He was in the ward and I walked past so that all the patients could hear him too.”
Source link
Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
