Latest news with #HeartlandsHospital
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Birmingham Heartlands Hospital left woman in cubicle without food
A hospital has promised to improve its A&E after a family told the BBC their 77-year-old mother was left in a "dirty" cubicle for 22 hours. Jill Clarke was admitted to Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham with a chest infection on 19 April, and her family claim she was left alone all night without any food or drink. Her son Peter said that when his mother was finally seen, she was given a meal he would not feed "to a pig" and was later left bruised by a ward nurse. A spokesperson for the hospital apologised and said it was experiencing high levels of demand. Ms Clarke, from Shirley, requires full time care and lives with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which causes breathing was discharged from Heartlands on 23 April, and is recovering from the infection. But her family have been left furious by her treatment during the four-day stay, and believe the current state of the hospital is unacceptable. Mr Clarke claimed his mother had been put on a trolley with dried blood on, and then left in a "filthy" A&E cubicle with used syringes on a nearby 45-year-old shared pictures of a meagre-looking meal his mother was apparently given, despite not having been offered anything to eat or drink for a long time. "I wouldn't have fed that meal to a pig," he said. "It was disgusting and they were giving that to a 77-year-old lady who hadn't eaten in 24 hours." Mr Clarke further claimed his mother was hurt by a nurse who had been unable to put her cannula in happened after Ms Clarke was taken from the cubicle and put onto a ward, with a photo appearing to show her with a bruised arm. The hospital did not comment on this claim specifically. The family have made a formal complaint. Mr Clarke explained his relatives had a proud history of working in the NHS. For many years, he was employed as a switchboard operator and a porter at West Middlesex University Hospital in London. The family, who now live in the West Midlands, have had to take Ms Clarke to Heartlands three times in the past five months. While Mr Clarke said April's visit was the worst, he believed the service was consistently poor. "It's every single day," he said. "It needs a complete shut down and a thorough deep clean."If [my] old boss had walked into A&E at Heartlands and did a quality control check, he would have shut the A&E down." Heartlands Hospital is run by University Hospitals Birmingham. The trust has found itself under scrutiny since being heavily criticised in a March 2023 report over cases of bullying and a toxic environment. In February last year, inspectors said urgent and emergency care at Heartlands had improved from inadequate to requires improvement. A further Care Quality Commission probe in November found concerns about surgery and medical services at the hospital were "unfounded". A Heartlands Hospital statement said all concerns were taken seriously and were being looked into appropriately."We are sorry to hear about Mrs Clarke's experience and we're grateful to her son Mr Clarke, for raising their concerns about her care," a spokesperson said. "Our emergency department is experiencing high levels of demand which can make maintaining the environment challenging at very busy times. "We have now instigated an intensive programme to improve the environment for all our patients." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Plans for new £1 billion tram line that will 'change lives' revealed
A major £1 billion plan to build a new tram line linking East Birmingham to north Solihull has been unveiled - a proposal that is expected to 'transform lives' after weeks of high level negotiations. The proposed Metro line would run from Birmingham city centre, through Digbeth and Bordesley Green, to key sites including Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham Airport, the NEC, and the HS2 interchange at Arden Cross. It would also serve a planned £2.9 billion Birmingham City FC stadium and sports quarter, expected to open by 2030. The proposal, titled "Invest a Little, Unlock a Lot," is being pitched to the Government as a way to drive regeneration, create jobs, and unlock billions in private investment. An initial Government contribution of £350-£400 million is being sought, reports Birmingham Mail. West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, who has led lobbying efforts alongside Knighthead CEO, Tom Wagner, said: 'We hope [ministers] recognise this is not just a tram line, but will connect communities to each other and to huge investment opportunities. 'This is a massive opportunity for our region and the city of Birmingham and my role is to use my powers and commitment to ensure this happens quickly.' Parker and Wagner took the plans to Downing Street in April and have held meetings with Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. The route would begin at the new HS2 Curzon Street station and travel via the Digbeth Loc entertainment hub and the Sports Quarter in Bordesley Green before extending towards the NEC, Airport, and HS2 interchange in North Solihull. The objective is that this first phase would coincide with the opening of the all-new Birmingham City Football Club stadium in 2030. The Blues, under American ownership, is planning a significant move to a new stadium and sports complex as part of a £2.9 billion project, which will see thousands of sports and entertainment fans ferried to and from the sports village. Later, the Metro route would be extended out towards Heartlands Hospital, the NEC, Birmingham Airport and north Solihull, to the HS2 interchange at Arden Cross. Labour leader of Birmingham City Council John Cotton, Conservative Solihull Council leader Ian Courts, and Mayor Parker issued a joint statement calling the scheme 'a moment of real opportunity for East Birmingham and North Solihull.' They added the shared plan would 'bring new jobs, better transport, more homes and stronger communities to the people who live here.' The project has been under discussion for over a decade but failed to progress due to lack of funding. However, supporters believe momentum is now firmly behind the scheme. In Parliament on Thursday 1 May, MP Liam Byrne praised the proposal, calling for the creation of a Mayoral Development Corporation to oversee the building of the tram line and to help maximise the speed and delivery of the proposed plan. While Government funding has not yet been confirmed, an announcement could come as early as the June spending review, as local leaders say they are confident their message has been heard. Meanwhile, a brand new £1billion Tube-style transport system is finally set to launch in Wales – and it promises to transform travel across the South of the country. Dubbed the 'Welsh Tube', the ambitious project – over 10 years in the making – will stretch a staggering 105 miles (170km), linking the capital Cardiff with outlying towns including Merthyr Tydfil, Treherbert and Aberdare. And just like the London Underground, it'll see trains running as frequently as every five minutes in some areas.
