'They put me in a ward with grannies and drug addicts'

[SO19]

'They put me in a ward with grannies and drug addicts'
By Nick Britten
(Filed: 17/10/2006)


The comments are certain to put further pressure on the Government
to reintroduce military hospitals as casualties increase

A soldier who was treated in a civilian NHS ward said yesterday that he was left screaming in pain for five hours as nurses struggled to cope with under-staffing.

He painted a grim picture of how members of the Armed Forces were being cared for on civilian wards, and said the Government had "betrayed" them by closing military hospitals.

The man, who suffered serious combat wounds, said he awoke to find himself sandwiched between pensioners and drug addicts.

He said civilian nurses and patients failed to understand the trauma some soldiers had suffered and were not trained or equipped to cope with the flashbacks and night terrors they experienced.

Soldiers feared for their lives because of a lack of security and their recovery was being hindered because they were not surrounded by fellow servicemen who understood the culture of the Army and what they had been through.

His comments are certain to put further pressure on the Government to reintroduce military hospitals as casualties increase.

The soldier was flown home and processed through the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, based at Selly Oak hospital, in Birmingham, before being transferred to a general ward.

In an exclusive interview with the ITV News correspondent Emma Murphy, he said soldiers were feeling bitter about their treatment.

"Basically we have been betrayed by the Army in the way that we're not on a military ward; we're mixed with civvies who could have been just in for a simple operation, instead of us who've been through a traumatic experience.

"You've been in a war. You've been in a fighting action mode for so many months therefore you're still in that environment.

"You don't know what's happening or where you are and coming back from somewhere where you could be getting mortared or shot at every night, coming back to a civilianised place where there's no threat at all; it's completely different."

He said that the first he knew about where he was being treated was when he woke up to find himself on a mixed civilian ward.

"I was shocked. I didn't know what was happening, what I was going through. I had a few flashbacks I needed to get out my system.

"If I was on a ward with soldiers I could have talked to them and they would have understood what I'd been through.

Because I was on a mixed civvy ward with no other soldiers — there were just old grannies and a few drug addicts — I couldn't have told them what I'd been through because they couldn't have coped and it would have made them a lot worse as well as me."

Having unrecognised people wandering around the wards was a concern, he said.

"It can make you worse because, say, if you've been hit by a suicide bomber, anyone who comes near you who's not a soldier or a friendly face — military staff — you think, lying there, 'somebody's trying to kill me' because you don't know where you are or what's going on.

You're alert because you've just come back from a traumatic experience, so really you're scared of anything."

He said that while the nurses tried their best, they were overstretched and it often took a long time to receive pain relief.

"If you're in pain, they'll come to your bed 15 minutes later and then they'll go back to get the actual drugs that you need and while they're on their way if an old dear asks for a cup of tea they'll go and make it for them before they get to you.

"And by the time they get to you, you're in absolute agony or the pain has gone and you just think 'Well, that was no help'.

"One night I was in absolute agony and they took nearly two hours to get to me to get pain relief and then I finally fell asleep but I'd say I was in agony for at least five hours altogether.

"The way the military works is that if someone is in pain they'll sort them out there and then, whereas in a civilian hospital all they are worried about is money.

"Having a nurse there now instead of half an hour later would be a help and you'd get that in a military ward."

He said that as casualties increase in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Government should open military hospitals or have dedicated wards at hospitals such as Selly Oak.

"There should be a military ward with military staff. At least they would be getting treatment then and there and because you're in a squaddie environment obviously you can say what you want.

"It would be a lot more helpful for soldiers coming back from Afghanistan or Iraq because I think there will be a lot more casualties."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... dier17.xml

[Noz]

It is a travasty with Haslar lying basically being unused. The facilities there are excellent and it serves the local community as well as the forces.

Watched an interview with the health minister and he blamed it on the decisions of a goverment TEN YEARS AGO. He did also mention that the hospital provides all the in-depth facilities required for battlefield injuries. Not everywhere can provide these. The least that could be done is for the war wounded to have safe, secure, clean facilities which promote recovery

I thought that there was a decision to create a new tri service hospital around Birmingham a long time ago.

The Friarage at Northallerton is used for local forces personnel and some of the departments are run with forces personnel. Its only a small hospital providing good facilities.

[got1]

God what would they give for "Cambridge" and the other military hospitals now.
As the lad said they need there own about them.
The bloody goverment are letting the lads & lassie's down big time.