A CARER who complained about her husband’s care on a hospital corridor has blamed NHS managers for problems - and urged more people to complain.

Shaenagh Catherwood says 'wonderful' staff at Worcestershire Royal Hospital saved her husband Robin Catherwood's life.

However, the 79-year-old of Uphampton, near Ombersley, says her 89-year-old husband also experienced very poor care and standards became so bad she discharged him.

Mrs Catherwood, wrote a letter of complaint to Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and health and social care regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

She also met with a matron and medical assessment unit doctor to discuss the couple's concerns and has been given assurances her letter will be acted upon and used to ensure best practice.

She has urged the public to write to NHS managers with their concerns.

Mr Catherwood spent five hours on a trolley in a corridor last year as an emergency admission after he developed a headache and loss of vision.

The mother-of-five and carer for her husband for 12 years said: "I want Worcester to be the best in the country.

"I know there are wonderful doctors and nurses working there.

"We need to support them but I feel that the problem is the management and communication.

"The management need to start thinking outside the box.

"I think my message is for people to write in and carefully describe their experiences so lessons can be learned.

"The hospital seems to be willing to listen and make changes.

"They did in my case. It's important everyone at the hospital feels valued and part of a great team."

Medical staff told her the letter she wrote had helped to change care in the medical assessment unit.

She was told patients in the MAU are now moved to a room to be assessed rather than the corridor.

From there she was told they would be moved to another ward before being allocated a bed in the hospital.

Mr Catherwood was an emergency admission on Friday, July 22 last year where he spent five hours on a trolley while staff attempted to find the results of a CT scan performed on the NHS at the BMI in Droitwich two days earlier after he developed a headache and loss of vision.

He was eventually admitted to Beech 2 later that evening by which time he was ‘physically and mentally exhausted’.

She wrote: “Over the weekend there were very few staff and Robin had no further medical intervention.

“Our only contact was with a Greek doctor who rushed in and tried to answer our questions (but knew nothing of the scans) and a senior nurse who came to tell us there was a big problem – the scans (from Droitwich BMI) could not be found.”

The scan results were eventually found. They were so upset with the standard of care her husband was ‘self-discharged’ on July 27 still with no scan option, no diagnosis and no treatment.

She said the lack of communication at the hospital was ‘poor and even unprofessional’ and the information given as 'inconsistent' with the couple still not aware what caused her husband’s symptoms.

Mr Catherwood, a former management consultant, said: "Very good brains are being frustrated by lack of organisation.

"We have to get management training like a doctor and this has to take place nationally."

A trust spokesman said: “We take all patient complaints seriously and aim to address concerns wherever we can.

"A number of improvements have been made since Mrs Catherwood’s letter in August 2016, including the creation of more private assessment areas within the A&E department.

"However, we recognise we still have challenges around patient flow and the impact this has on crowding in our emergency department.

"We are continually focused on making improvements - ultimately to prevent any patient spending time in the corridor.

"Our plans to create more beds in Aconbury East on the Worcestershire Royal Hospital have now been approved and we are working hard to make those available at the earliest opportunity.

"Meanwhile, we have developed plans for capital monies we have received for use this year to create more space in the areas adjacent to the A&E at the Worcester site – the Medical Assessment Unit and Ambulatory Emergency Care - to allow streaming of patients throughout the day from the A&E into acute medicine and primary care.

“As always the public can help support us in this, by only attending A&E if you have a serious or life-threatening emergency.”

The trust has been in special measures since December 2015 and is rated inadequate by the CQC.