HOSPITAL bosses have promised an "urgent investigation" into claims it subjected an elderly patient to "neglect" and "atrocious" treatment.

Linda Holmes makes the claims in a damning two-year diary of her mother's treatment at Lewisham Hospital.

In the diary Mrs Holmes says her 74-year-old mother Rose Matthews, who died last November, suffered due to a catalogue of errors.

Mrs Holmes, of Castlecombe Road, Mottingham, claims:

  • Her mother was often left lying for "hours" in a bed soaked in urine and vomit.
  • She was forced to go without vital energy drinks because the hospital ran out of them.
  • Her mother's condition was mis-diagnosed by doctors.
  • The family were twice mistakenly told Mrs Matthews was about to die.

Mother-of-two Mrs Holmes began the dossier on February 12 2004, when her mother was admitted to hospital with a broken hip.

Before her operation the following day Mrs Holmes was wrongly told her mother had hours to live.

Mrs Matthews was discharged in April 2004 but when she was re-admitted in March last year, her daughter decided to revive the diary.

Mrs Holmes, 49, said: "Ninety-nine per cent of the nurses are angels but because they are so understaffed the standard of treatment is atrocious.

"Everything is 'in a minute'. When I asked for a bedpan or a drink for mum the answer would always be 'in a minute'.

"They did not bother to clean her up. She would be left in her own mess and urine for three or four hours, crying her eyes out."

Mrs Matthews suffered from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, a lung disease which severely affects breathing.

This meant she needed special Fortisip energy drinks to keep her strength up, but Mrs Holmes says the ward rarely had the drinks in stock.

In August last year the family were again wrongly told Mrs Matthews was about to die.

She eventually died at Brymore House care home, Grove Park, in November.

Her death certificate said she died of cancer but the family claim they were never told she had the disease.

Mrs Holmes added: "I don't want anyone else to go through what mum did. It was pure neglect from start to finish."

Hospital bosses have promised to launch an "urgent investigation" into Mrs Matthews' case.

A spokesman said: "In the case of Rose Matthews there were shortfalls in the standards we expect and our patients are entitled to expect.

"We will learn from this and put into practice any recommendations which are made following our investigation."