Barts Health Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment Report

www.brap.org.ukthat professionals were very uncaring, no one listened and filling out forms is seen asmore important than people.A respondent who was admitted to Barts and London was in hospital waiting for anoperation. Two nurses came along to give her an injection. She questioned this, as sheknew she wasn't due to have her operation until later on that day - but they insisted thatthey were right. She became very assertive and it was only when staff asked her namethat they realised that they had the wrong notes!“I felt like an object, not a human being”A key concern from the whole group was how the merger will help those who are morevulnerable: standards of care are bad – experiences are poor – so how will the mergeraddress these issues? Many don't believe that standards will improve and see this verymuch as a cost-cutting exercise with patients, especially disabled people and othervulnerable groups, taking the brunt of cuts in services as savings are madeThere was genuine fear that what were already harrowing experiences of care would bemade worse. Respondents wanted a direct response from the merged trust on how themerger will specifically help those with disabilities [brap researchers said we would askthe Trust to respond to this question and email a response directly to DLS]Many respondents said that the ‘human side’ of care was missing; another person said“they have forgotten their nursing skills.”Respondents identified a range of complaints that they knew about, staff not caringsufficiently and lack of joined up care even in the same hospital. Some had madecomplaints themselves and they had little faith in the complaints system and alsosuspect that a larger hospital will make getting answers to complaints even worse.One respondent began fighting for his rights when his daughter was in hospital: his viewis that you have to be in the know and be prepared to fight for your rights. He clearlyknew a lot about his rights – but others pointed out that those who are ill and vulnerablehaven't always got the time to fight!Another respondent described her waiting experience. Again, she had spent six hourswaiting to be seen, and only got somewhere when she started to complain by swearingand speaking loudly. She felt that the lack of care and poor treatment forces patients tobehave in ways that are rudeA number of respondents described feeling disempowered and unable to understandand navigate the healthcare system. There was a concern that if this is true with smallerTrusts, there is a risk that having a ‘bigger system’ will make it even harder for patients tonavigate through.160