MY mother has been an in-patient at Hinchingbrooke Hospital for the past four weeks and most of this time has been spent confined to bed. After visiting her every day I feel that I should write and give my views on Huntingdonshire s NHS service. I underst

MY mother has been an in-patient at Hinchingbrooke Hospital for the past four weeks and most of this time has been spent confined to bed. After visiting her every day I feel that I should write and give my views on Huntingdonshire's NHS service.

I understand that the staff on the wards are very busy and have a lot of patients to deal with, but a bit of common courtesy would not go amiss. I have tried to talk to someone face-to-face a couple of times about my mum's condition, only to be either ignored or told: "I have just come on shift so I don't know."

I have also turned up a couple of times to find mum in a blood-stained nightdress and either wet or blood-stained sheets and also unwashed and have had to wash and change her myself. I have also had to ask for clean sheets and have had to change these too, as the staff are too busy to do so.

I think it is preposterous in this day and age of worries about health and safety that no provision is made for the disposal of rubbish that patients accumulate: again this has been down to me to sort out.

My husband was recently a patient of Papworth Hospital and the communication and care there is by far superior to Hinchingbrooke. There staff there are far more friendly, helpful and approachable. The standard of hygiene is amazingly different as well.

It just seems that these two hospitals are worlds apart, even though they are within the same health authority.

Mrs LINDA SHANNON

Fen Lane

Sawtry