A RETIRED nurse has hit out at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust after a stay in Royal Blackburn left her in a wheelchair.

Anne Hindle, 83, from Baxenden, was hospitalised with a kidney problem almost three years ago, but only now feels able to talk about her ordeal following a lengthy complaints procedure.

She was admitted in June 2011 with severe pain, and was kept in for five days.

Mrs Hindle, who used to be a senior nursing sister and worked at Royal Blackburn when it was Queens Park Hospital, said that for the entirety of her stay she was given nothing to eat or drink, was not given her medication for an existing eye condition and arthritis, and was given morphine but was not kept informed about her condition or treatment by hospital staff.

She said: “Nobody spoke to me, absolutely nobody, from the day I was admitted until they said ‘get dressed, go home.’ “I had nothing to change into, I was still in my nightie and dressing gown I’d been in when I came in.

“I was there for five days with no food or drink and no medication.”

Mrs Hindle, who has two sons and three grandchildren, said that as a result of her stay she contracted a c difficile infection, which left her in a wheelchair, and she lost almost three stone in weight.

She said the experience has left her afraid of being taken into hospital again.

She said: “I think it’s been very degrading, it’s made me very wary of ever going to that hospital again.

“Most of my family live abroad in Canada and America, and they feel helpless that they can’t come over and help me out.

“I feel very, very humiliated by it all, I’ve got very hurt feelings, but I just have to get on with my life.

“It’s too late for me now, I’m not the woman I was three years ago, but I don’t want anyone else to go through this.

“If my story makes a change, I’ve done my job.”

Chris Pearson, chief nurse at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Patient confidentiality is of the utmost importance to us so we are unable to comment on individual cases.

“It is always disappointing when a patient feels it necessary to speak to the local press about their treatment.

“Improving the patient experience is a key objective for the trust and all feedback is welcomed, acted upon and learned from.

“We take complaints very seriously and always try to deal with them in a timely and sensitive way. We investigate all complaints thoroughly.

“We would urge the patients to contact us directly and can assure them that we will do all we can to answer their questions.”