An elderly widow has been issued an apology from a hospital following her ‘appalling’ treatment – which resulted in maggots infesting a foot wound during her stay. Linda Nelson was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital in July due to ulcerated feet, kidney failure and other medical issues.
However, it was not until a week into her stay at the hospital that nurses discovered maggots in the 80 year old’s foot, and the horrific find, made in early August, was left without treatment until the next day. Shockingly, health professionals even inquired if she had been receiving ‘maggot treatment’, which she hadn’t.
After enduring an agonising seven weeks in hospital, Linda, back home in Gillingham, Kent, alongside her daughter Amanda Robinson, is now insisting that the Medway NHS Foundation Trust take their ‘horrible’ experience as a lesson – adamant that no one else should endure what they did. In response to complaints filed by Ms. Robinson, Medway Maritime Hospital extended an apology for her mother’s ordeal in a correspondence sent by the Medway NHS Trust.
They conceded: “Following a review of Linda’s wound on her right foot, it was found that there was poor wound care and there were maggots present in the wound.
“We are truly sorry for what happened and for the distress caused to you and your family. This is not the experience we wished Linda to have, and we want to appropriately support you at this time.”
An investigation is currently ongoing, but it is thought that during the warmer summer months when Linda was in hospital, windows were likely left open. As a result, Linda and her family believe that a fly laid its eggs in her uncovered wound.
After a few days, a new dressing was applied, and the eggs hatched. When the bandage was removed, maggots were visible in the wound.
Linda, a mother of four, reported feeling the maggots wriggling in her foot, describing it as a “I could feel them. It was a tickling feeling and when he took the bandage off it was full of maggots looking at you. I wasn’t expecting that.”
She stated: “I thought, Where the hell did they come from? ‘ because I didn’t have maggots before.”
“It was very odd, considering it’s a hospital…” “I could feel them. It was a tickling feeling and when he took the bandage off it was full of maggots looking at you. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“He covered it back over and said, ‘Speak to the medical staff the next day’. By then, the maggots had got bigger.”
The maggots were not removed until the following day.
Linda added: “It didn’t take long to clear the maggots, but the problems with my foot aren’t going to go away,” “It was a horrible and nasty experience. It wasn’t necessary.”
On the same day in early August that the maggots were removed, Linda’s daughter, Ms Robsinson, received a call from a nurse inquiring if Linda was undergoing ‘maggot therapy’, a sterile treatment where maggots are intentionally placed in an open wound to clean it. “They obviously didn’t look at mum’s notes because she was not having maggot therapy,” Ms Robinson, 57, stated.
“It’s absolutely crazy, unbelievable and as a family we are gobsmacked this can happen.”
“The treatment has been appalling. How, in 2024, can my mother have these experiences in the hospital.”
The family also voiced their complaints about the ‘inedible’ hospital food, with Linda claiming she would not eat it, which led to her losing a stone during her stay.
“I survived on ice creams, mousses and trifles,” Linda recounted.
Mrs Nelson, who works for the local authority, is convinced her mum is owed a ‘proper apology’, ideally a personal letter from the hospital.
“It’s not about compensation,” she insisted. “An apology and a bunch of flowers would do wonders for mum.”
“We don’t want anyone else to go through what she went through.”
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Medway NHS Foundation Trust’s Interim Chief Nurse Sarah Vaux responded: “We apologise to Mrs Nelson for the distress caused during her care at our hospital.”
“We are looking at the concerns raised in detail and will share the findings directly with Mrs Nelson and her family once our investigation is complete.’’Prior to Linda’s hospital admission, district nurses were expected to visit bi-weekly for her ulcerated foot dressing, but her family criticized the care as inconsistent, claiming that nurses sometimes did not show up.
“Linda suspects that this substandard pre-hospital care may have aggravated her foot condition. After her discharge, the patient noted an improvement in her care, with district nurses visiting every other day to attend to her foot.”
Stephanie Taylor, the Interim Chief Nursing Officer at Medway Community Healthcare, expressed regret, stating: “We are sorry that Mrs Nelson feels that she has not experienced the high level of care we strive to deliver. ” She added: “We are working with Mrs Nelson and her family to discuss her experience and to assure them that, as an organisation, we will learn from their thoughts and concerns.”
Taylor further affirmed: “MCH is committed to ensuring that any future care is right for Mrs Nelson’s needs.”
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