I worked in the NHS for 30 years. Dad died in the worst ward I'd ever seen: Daughter's fury at 'filthy and understaffed' hospital

A former NHS employee has described the hospital where her elderly father died as the worst she had encountered during her 30-year career.

James Bollen, 92, died last week after contracting three illnesses during a four-week stay at Weston General Hospital in Somerset.

The pensioner, whose family said he had always feared he would die on one of its wards, had been admitted to the hospital in Weston-super-Mare with norovirus.

James Bollen, with wife Susanne, contracted three illnesses including boils after being admitted to Weston General Hospital

Jane Gill said the ward her father died on was the worst she had seen in her 30 years working in the NHS

His daughter Jane Gill said the hospital was ‘filthy’ and understaffed.

The former senior pharmacy technician, who has worked at ten hospitals, said: ‘I have never seen such disregard for patients, relatives and a lack of cleanliness.

‘I have been retired five years having worked in a chemotherapy ward and know how important hygiene is.’

Mrs Gill, 53, from Yatton, north Somerset, claims her father went without food or water in the month during his stay and accused the hospital of ‘starving him to death’.

She said she passed out from shock when she went to identify his ‘emaciated’ body.

She said: ‘The lack of dignity and care shown to him was appalling.

‘They denied him food, they didn’t care. When I went to identify him he was in a dirty gown, unshaven and I was so shocked I passed out.

‘Nine days before he went into hospital he was told he was in excellent condition for a 92-year-old.

‘I didn’t recognise him four weeks [later]. He was thin and emaciated. He looked like he had come out of a concentration camp.’ Her father had an IV drip which was on ‘sporadically’, she said. After two weeks he was given a feeding tube.

Mr Bollen’s widow, Susanne, said by the end she hardly recognised her husband of 62 years and regretted the trust did not agree to move him to another hospital, as the family requested. She said: ‘The last thing he said to me was, “Food, food.” I’ll never forget that.’

Mrs Gill, a full-time carer who lives with her husband Melvin, has called for an inquest and fears the hospital could turn into ‘another Mid-Staffs’. She added: ‘I worked in hospitals for 30 years, I know how they should look and I’ve never seen anything like it at Weston, it was disgusting.’

It is understood Weston General Hospital is for sale as bosses struggle to deal with a £3.5million deficit.

  More... Proof that A&E closures cause huge increase in patient waiting times and lead to hundreds of cancelled operations Middle-class professionals each pay more than £200,000 towards benefits bill… that's more than twice as much as they contribute for the NHS Patients shun NHS for clinics run by Polish GPs: Cut-price private surgeries where you can see a doctor seven days a week

Mr Bollen, who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, was taken there on April 29 after catching the norovirus. His health improved but after moving on to the Kewstoke Ward he contracted hospital pneumonia, septicaemia and boils.

Mrs Gill said her father, pictured left on his wedding day in 1950 and right on his 90th birthday, always feared he would die in the hospital and claims he went without food and water during his one month stay

Mrs Gill said the family have complained to the trust that runs Weston General Hospital. The trust said it had invested £1.7million on improving staff levels

Mrs Gill said the illnesses’ specialist nurse was on leave without cover arranged. ‘I kept saying he needs his Parkinson’s medication, he needs food, he needs water,’ she said.

Mr Bollen also could not reach an alarm to call nurses and was out of sight of their work station.

Mrs Gill does not believe her father was on the Liverpool Care Pathway. When he contracted pneumonia it was agreed he would have a ‘do not resuscitate’ sign. He was understood to have improved in the last week and his daughter assumed he would have been taken off ‘DNR’.  She said: ‘There was no doctor to talk to us after he died.

‘My dad said, “If I go to Weston General Hospital I will die in there.” That’s exactly what happened.’

The family have made a complaint to the trust. A spokesman said it had invested £1.7million on improving staffing levels, adding: ‘We cannot discuss any individual case while an investigation is ongoing.

‘However, we have scored “good” for cleanliness over the past five years. No one is ever refused the opportunity to speak to a member of staff here about their concerns.’