0:00:08 > 0:00:11A Welsh Hospital at the centre of a major police investigation.
0:00:11 > 0:00:20Tonight, families speak out for the first time.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23The police were there and something to do with dad and the hospital.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25I was thinking what on earth was going on?
0:00:25 > 0:00:30They tell us of their serious concerns of basic standards of care.
0:00:30 > 0:00:35When we got there she was in a hell of a state.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41I could look at her, I can picture her now.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43So, is this the Welsh Mid Staffordshire Hospital scandal?
0:00:43 > 0:00:45It goes to the top.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47You haven't got an effective governance system in place.
0:00:47 > 0:00:53And we question that man at the top.
0:00:53 > 0:01:01Why are you still in your job?
0:01:07 > 0:01:10When we got there she was in a hell of a state.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11I can picture her now.
0:01:11 > 0:01:15I think that thought will stay with me for the rest of my days.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17I could literally see my mother wasting away before
0:01:17 > 0:01:23my eyes in this hospital bed.
0:01:23 > 0:01:30She was sedated to such a debilitating extent, we found her
0:01:30 > 0:01:34slumped in a chair virtually unconscious, soaked in urine.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36These nurses,
0:01:36 > 0:01:44you regard them as friends then, because they're a support.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48To actually do this to your loved one,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50how can somebody do that?
0:01:50 > 0:01:52This is the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend.
0:01:52 > 0:01:53It's been under the spotlight because
0:01:53 > 0:01:56of the suspension of 14 nurses, some of whom have admitted criminally
0:01:56 > 0:02:03neglecting elderly patients.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Serious enough in itself, but there are
0:02:05 > 0:02:12ongoing concerns that allegations of poor care have not been addressed,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15and that management is not doing enough to listen to public concerns.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Families affected by the court case were thrown
0:02:17 > 0:02:22together - their worlds turned upside down by a knock at the door.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25The police were there and it was something to do with Dad and
0:02:25 > 0:02:26the hospital.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28I was thinking what on earth was going on?
0:02:28 > 0:02:30It didn't sink in.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33I said, what are you trying to say?
0:02:33 > 0:02:43Are you trying to say they've helped towards my mother's death?
0:02:43 > 0:02:46And she just... Like that.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48I said to him, then I can't deal with this.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51I have to get out of here, I can't deal with this.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54I was totally shocked that my mum was even involved in any of this.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56The police investigation at the hospital resulted
0:02:56 > 0:02:57in the arrest of five nurses.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03Three admitted wilfully neglecting patients.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05But last month the trial of two nurses who denied
0:03:05 > 0:03:06the charges collapsed.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08They were found not guilty, leaving families with more questions
0:03:08 > 0:03:12than answers.
0:03:12 > 0:03:19The families hadn't known each other.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21All they had in common was that known each other.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24their loved ones ended up at the Princess of Wales Hospital.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26All the affected patients were elderly, and had diabetes.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Nurses were accused of neglecting them.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30For reasons unknown, some nurses falsified the record
0:03:30 > 0:03:35of their blood-sugar tests.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40Two nurses have pleaded guilty to the wilful neglect of Alun Evans.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43He's now cared for at home by his family after suffering
0:03:43 > 0:03:46a stroke in May, 2012.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47That's Lorna.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52She's living up in Birmingham now.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54We haven't seen her for years, have we?
0:03:54 > 0:03:57The stroke left him in a coma for 20 days at the Princess
0:03:57 > 0:04:01of Wales Hospital.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06The day he came out of the coma, we'd just seen the consultant,
0:04:06 > 0:04:14and they didn't think he was going to survive.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17They didn't know how he'd lasted so long.
0:04:17 > 0:04:25I could see his hand moving.
0:04:25 > 0:04:40I said, Dad, can you hear me, squeeze my hand?
0:04:40 > 0:04:43He squeezed my hand, which was the first sign we'd had in three weeks.
0:04:43 > 0:04:44Alun is a diabetic.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46And now, after the involvement of the police,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49his family have been left wondering if his coma was in any way connected
0:04:49 > 0:04:54to his blood sugar levels, and the falsification of his records.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58These nurses, after being in the ward for so long,
0:04:58 > 0:05:04you regard them as friends then, because they're a support.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10To actually do this to your loved one and not do
0:05:10 > 0:05:13the care they are supposed to do, it's sort of a thing of disbelief.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15How can somebody do that?
0:05:15 > 0:05:20After finding out now about what the nurses have done,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22I was just wondering, did that contribute to him staying
0:05:22 > 0:05:26in the coma as long as he was?
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Emma's family were hoping the court case would answer that
0:05:29 > 0:05:33and other questions.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35What all the families want to know is did
0:05:35 > 0:05:38my loved one suffer as a result of the actions of these nurses?
0:05:38 > 0:05:41What the court case exposed was shocking
0:05:41 > 0:05:52- that nurses falsified records.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54But it also revealed serious concerns about poor care
0:05:54 > 0:05:56in the hospital.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Gareth Williams is one of those with concerns about poor care.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01His mother, Lillian, was in her 80s.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06She was a very resilient lady, she was disabled from a very young age.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08She lost her leg as the result of an accident.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10She still brought five children up.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14She worked all her life.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15She put us all through university.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18She taught us to be hard-working.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19She was one of the patients neglected
0:06:19 > 0:06:23by the nurses at the hospital.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26My mother had been admitted to the Princess of Wales for different
0:06:26 > 0:06:28reasons many times over the years.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30We had always been impressed by the way she was treated
0:06:30 > 0:06:34and the way she was cared for.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37But all that changed when Lilian was admitted to ward 6
0:06:37 > 0:06:42in 2010 with suspected shingles.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46It was a Friday night and Gareth says she wasn't given any food,
0:06:46 > 0:06:52water or her own medicines for at least 36 hours.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53By mid-afternoon on Saturday, she had gone
0:06:53 > 0:07:06into what appeared to be a coma.
0:07:06 > 0:07:12She was delirious at first, then became unconscious.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14She was perspiring profusely.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18When we told them she was going to die for want of medical attention,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22they told us it was impossible to get a doctor, as it was the weekend
0:07:22 > 0:07:24and the only doctors in the hospital were in A
0:07:24 > 0:07:26After that, Gareth and his family ensured one
0:07:26 > 0:07:29of them was with Lilian from early morning until late at night.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30It didn't improve at all.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32She was lying in faeces.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33She was a very proud lady.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36She could walk to the toilet if someone helped her to put her
0:07:36 > 0:07:38leg on.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41She could use a commode if someone brought one for her.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46When we asked nursing staff why she'd been left in faeces, they told
0:07:46 > 0:07:49us it was impossible with the shortage of staff to get two members
0:07:49 > 0:07:51of staff to lift her out of bed.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Gareth and his family complained about Lilian's care, and they were
0:07:55 > 0:07:57assured that an investigation would take place - called a POVA,
0:07:57 > 0:07:58or Protection of Vulnerable Adults.
0:07:58 > 0:08:03But it never happened.
0:08:03 > 0:08:09It is an absolute disgrace that no-one has been held to account
0:08:09 > 0:08:13for what the health board has admitted were false assurances
0:08:13 > 0:08:16and false statements about a POVA investigation that never took place.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23She was very outgoing, wasn't she?
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Loved life, loved her grandchildren.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30Loved life to the full.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Bingo. Holidays.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Everywhere we went, she wanted to come with us.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Jean Preece's family are having to come to terms with
0:08:37 > 0:08:40the fact that their mother was also neglected, and they have a host
0:08:40 > 0:08:44of other concerns about her care.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Jean had a stroke in November 2012, and she was admitted to ward 2
0:08:47 > 0:08:52at Bridgend hospital.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55At first I thought it was all right, to be honest.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Until a bit later on, I started seeing tablets on the floor.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59They weren't feeding her, were they?
0:08:59 > 0:09:01They weren't giving her drinks.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06Her food would be left on the table.
0:09:06 > 0:09:13Bell behind her head tied up.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15That's when I just started taking little notes down now.
0:09:15 > 0:09:16That's what I done.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20You used to go down there at dinner time and stay there, didn't you?
0:09:20 > 0:09:22To make sure she had something to eat.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25We were so concerned and we brought it to their attention but
0:09:25 > 0:09:27it was just falling on deaf ears.
0:09:27 > 0:09:34The couple say they did raise concerns with staff on ward 2.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37I don't like to complain too much because obviously I have got to
0:09:37 > 0:09:42come home at night, knowing that she's got to be under their care.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Earlier that same year, 2012, Gareth's mother was admitted to the
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Princess of Wales Hospital again.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50She was taken to ward 6 again.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54And again, her family were unhappy with her care.
0:09:54 > 0:10:01They'd assured us they would under no circumstances sedate her.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04It had happened in 2010 and we wanted to be sure it didn't
0:10:04 > 0:10:08happen again in 2012.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12It did happen again, the nurses had given her zopiclone and temazepam.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Gareth was so concerned he recorded two videos
0:10:14 > 0:10:22of his mother on the ward.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26We found her one morning slumped in a chair, virtually unconscious,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29soaked in urine,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32with her medication dissolving in pools of urine next to bloody swabs
0:10:32 > 0:10:35which had dropped from her arm.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38When we asked the nurse, "Have you been sedating her?"
0:10:38 > 0:10:43she said, "Yes, we have."
0:10:43 > 0:10:48I said, "Why were you sedating her?
0:10:48 > 0:10:51We were promised that wouldn't happen."
0:10:51 > 0:10:54She said "It's all right for the doctors to promise you that
0:10:54 > 0:10:57"but they are not here in the night when they're screaming out."
0:10:57 > 0:11:00She said, "I can't sleep with my leg on," which we knew.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02The metal would bite into the area around her knee
0:11:02 > 0:11:03and cause her great pain.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08And she said "Since I've been in here they haven't taken my leg off."
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Gareth filmed another video on his phone, this time to show
0:11:11 > 0:11:14that Lilian's tablets from the night before hadn't been taken.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17I went to police and social services and showed them
0:11:17 > 0:11:22some of the video recordings of her mistreatment on that ward.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Straight away they told us they would have her moved.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28The health board did hold a POVA investigation into Lilian's care
0:11:28 > 0:11:34on ward 6 - many of the allegations were proved.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38They included her unnecessary sedation at night, failure to care
0:11:38 > 0:11:43for her amputated limb, and failure to administer prescribed medicine.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46It didn't uphold the complaint that she was left soaked in her own
0:11:46 > 0:11:50urine and slumped in her chair.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53The health board also says it is not aware of any evidence that
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Mrs Williams' poor care caused her actual harm.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Until the nurses who've pleaded guilty
0:11:59 > 0:12:02have been sentenced, the health board says it cannot yet comment
0:12:02 > 0:12:03fully on our families' concerns.
0:12:03 > 0:12:11The man in charge is Paul Roberts.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I think we have a historical legacy of families we've not dealt with
0:12:14 > 0:12:17properly and it's been hard for us to get back in the right place
0:12:17 > 0:12:18with those families.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21The fact we've had a police and criminal
0:12:21 > 0:12:23investigation hasn't helped that.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25I'm really frustrated about that.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Once that...
0:12:27 > 0:12:30It wouldn't stop you saying sorry...
0:12:30 > 0:12:33What we're planning to do is, as soon as the court case is over,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36that we plan to write to families affected by that and invite them
0:12:36 > 0:12:39in if they want to come and talk to us about concerns.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42In that letter there will be an apology because we already owe
0:12:42 > 0:12:43one, quite clearly.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46In 2012, there were other wards at the Princess of Wales Hospital
0:12:46 > 0:12:48in Bridgend where families had concerns about patient care.
0:12:48 > 0:12:55Including ward 20.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57That's my mum and my dad, undoubtedly on one
0:12:57 > 0:12:58of their travels together.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59They were always off gallivanting.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01By 2012, Sonia Phillips had developed dementia.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05After being admitted to the hospital,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08she eventually ended up on ward 20 and that's when the family became
0:13:08 > 0:13:09concerned about her nursing care.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12They were supposed to be keeping records of everything she ate
0:13:12 > 0:13:14and drank.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Because the concern is with somebody with dementia, they can't do any
0:13:16 > 0:13:21of that for themselves.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22It's whether they're getting appropriate
0:13:22 > 0:13:25nourishment, not losing weight.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27I could literally see my mother wasting away before
0:13:27 > 0:13:31my eyes in this hospital bed.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34She was getting increasingly frail, which is why I kept asking why
0:13:34 > 0:13:36records of feeding and drinking were not being maintained.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Were you satisfied the staff were sufficiently trained in how to
0:13:38 > 0:13:42deal with a patient of that type?
0:13:42 > 0:13:46I don't think any of the hospital staff,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49and this includes the doctors, are truly aware of what dementia is.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52They would shout at her and say to her, "Mrs Phillips,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54can you tell us where the pain is?"
0:13:54 > 0:13:57and I told them that she couldn't communicate that with them
0:13:57 > 0:14:00but they still insisted on shouting at an elderly,
0:14:00 > 0:14:05frail lady and asking her to tell them what was wrong with her.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Back on ward 2, Jean Preece's family were becoming increasingly
0:14:08 > 0:14:12concerned about her care.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15They say they would regularly get a phone call at the weekend saying
0:14:15 > 0:14:20Jean had taken a turn for the worse.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25Your heart is racing.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28You don't know exactly what you're going to see.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31When you get there she's going into a coma, which they should have
0:14:31 > 0:14:35spotted and there never should have been a reason for you to be called,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37you know?
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Veronica and Wayne, himself a diabetic, say
0:14:40 > 0:14:44when they arrived at the ward they found the nurses often didn't know
0:14:44 > 0:14:47what to do, and it was only when they explained that Jean was having
0:14:47 > 0:14:51a diabetic low that they acted.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Even if they give her a glass of milk it would have brought her
0:14:54 > 0:14:55out of it you know.
0:14:55 > 0:15:01But unless you administrate it, it will go lower and lower until
0:15:01 > 0:15:04in the end it will kill you.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08On the day Jean died, her family feared her diabetes
0:15:08 > 0:15:11wasn't managed properly again.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15They say staff told them Jean's blood sugar levels had been tested,
0:15:15 > 0:15:20but again they failed to recognise she was having a diabetic low.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24When we got there she was in hell of a state.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28I could look at her - I can picture her now.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33It will stay with me for the rest of my days.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37She didn't know where she was, couldn't move, or anything.
0:15:37 > 0:15:44I could see automatically she's having a real bad low.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49On this day, Wayne and Veronica say the nurses didn't have anything
0:15:49 > 0:15:53on the ward to bring Jean out of the low and staff eventually went to
0:15:53 > 0:15:57the hospital shop to buy a bottle of Lucozade to try to help her.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02But it was too late.
0:16:02 > 0:16:08Were patients harmed as result of poor care between 2010 and 12?
0:16:08 > 0:16:11I think that's a very difficult thing for me to answer.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17We've looked into individual complaints, one or two ombudsman
0:16:17 > 0:16:25cases, and in some cases concluded harm has been caused, others there
0:16:25 > 0:16:28was poor care, not direct harm.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33One would have to go back to those individual cases to pick that up.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37Families think there have been - until they get answers to their
0:16:37 > 0:16:41satisfaction there always be doubt.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Sure.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46One thing I've said several times in this interview is the concerns
0:16:46 > 0:16:49those families want to raise we want to listen, involve them and make
0:16:49 > 0:16:55sure their concerns addressed as far as we possibly can.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58At the beginning of 2013, the health board was also concerned
0:16:58 > 0:17:02about relatively high mortality rates at the hospital, and it
0:17:02 > 0:17:06commissioned an external review.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09At about the same time we understand a nurse decided to blow the whistle
0:17:09 > 0:17:15- she told managers nurses had been falsifying blood glucose readings.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20The health board investigated, and found 15 nurses had apparently
0:17:20 > 0:17:23falsified records at least five times.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26They called in the police.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30The police launched a criminal investigation
0:17:30 > 0:17:34and five nurses were arrested on suspicion of wilful neglect.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39They were all accused of falsifying patients' blood-glucose readings.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Amongst the patients affected were Gareth's mother, Lilian,
0:17:43 > 0:17:48Veronica's mother, Jean, and Karen's mother, Sonia Phillips.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51A total of nine patients were the victims of neglect by
0:17:51 > 0:17:58the three nurses who pleaded guilty, including Emma Brittain's father.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01After hearing dates, I was thinking this was going
0:18:01 > 0:18:03on while we were there.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05I'm quite angry now.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09I'm angry they didn't do their job properly, and it could
0:18:09 > 0:18:15have been fatal to my father.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18There's questions I would like to ask them, why they did it?
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Why they put patients' lives at risk.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27When you go into nursing, you go into save people's lives.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Three nurses are still waiting to be sentenced after admitting
0:18:30 > 0:18:33the wilful neglect of patients.
0:18:33 > 0:18:3714 are suspended from the Princess of Wales hospital and one more
0:18:37 > 0:18:43from another.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Gareth was so concerned about his mother's care, he went to
0:18:48 > 0:18:51see the health minister at the Welsh Government, in October 2013.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56He told us he was appalled by what he was seeing.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00We made it clear to him in that meeting we expected some
0:19:00 > 0:19:03sort of inquiry.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07We were hoping it would look back a number of years
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and hold to account the managers.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Gareth says he was in contact with the health minister's office,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17and he claims he was told there would be a full retrospective
0:19:17 > 0:19:22review, which would include the time his mother was in hospital.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25The following month, the health minister Mark Drakeford
0:19:25 > 0:19:29did announce a review but Gareth claims its scope was limited.
0:19:29 > 0:19:36We felt completely and utterly betrayed by Mark Drakeford.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40The review was so stilted and so rigged, it couldn't possibly examine
0:19:40 > 0:19:44the concerns we had raised with him.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Whilst its remit was criticised, when the report, called Trusted to
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Care, was published in May 2014, it was damning.
0:19:52 > 0:19:58It said that aspects of care of frail, older people were "simply
0:19:58 > 0:20:02unacceptable" and should be addressed "as a matter of ugency."
0:20:02 > 0:20:07The report described a "sense of hopelessness" in its care
0:20:07 > 0:20:10of frail, elderly patients.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13It found "poor professional behaviour" and "a lack
0:20:13 > 0:20:17of suitably qualified, educated and motivated staff."
0:20:17 > 0:20:20One patient told the review team:
0:20:20 > 0:20:24"I am in hell".
0:20:24 > 0:20:28I want to put on record my own unreserved apology
0:20:28 > 0:20:32to those individuals and their families whose care has
0:20:32 > 0:20:38fallen short of the standard that they had a right to expect.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40I was shocked but I wasn't surprised.
0:20:40 > 0:20:46The shock was that some of the descriptions of care in that
0:20:46 > 0:20:51report, and there were direct quotes from relatives, anyone with
0:20:51 > 0:20:54a heart and any sense of compassion would be shocked about them.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57They are the sort of things that should never happen in any
0:20:57 > 0:21:00hospital or caring environment.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Gareth is now campaigning for a much more extensive inquiry into
0:21:04 > 0:21:07previous failings at this hospital.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12This is the Facebook site we set up shortly after my mother's death.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17What we wanted to do was to reach out to others who'd suffered
0:21:17 > 0:21:21like we'd suffered in the hope that somehow
0:21:21 > 0:21:26the camaraderie of the victims would help them through the crisis.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Since you set this site up, what sort of response have you had to it?
0:21:30 > 0:21:32The site is very popular.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Very often when we put a post on the site you get two or three
0:21:36 > 0:21:40thousand viewing that post.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45Julie Bailey campaigned for years for a full public inquiry into
0:21:45 > 0:21:47the scandal at Mid Staffordshire.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50She helped expose a catalogue of serious failings at Stafford
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Hospital, where her mother died.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57What I said at the beginning was I would be a thorn in the government's
0:21:57 > 0:22:00side and that's what I did.
0:22:00 > 0:22:08We were so determined we wouldn't let them push us around so we'd
0:22:08 > 0:22:16stand out literally, wherever they would be, we'd be with our placards.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19There are those in the Welsh Government who say
0:22:19 > 0:22:23the Princess of Wales Hospital at Bridgend is not another Mid Staffs.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Would you be confident of making that link?
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Very much so.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31I think the similarities we've got with the
0:22:31 > 0:22:36ward failings, neglect of vulnerable people, goes out to other wards.
0:22:36 > 0:22:42But it goes to the top, failings right at top, complaints,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44you haven't got effective governance system in place.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46You've put your mum in hospital, found failings,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49then told lessons have been learnt and then go back into the hospital,
0:22:49 > 0:22:54told those failings haven't been learnt, that's a system failure
0:22:54 > 0:23:00and that needs a full examination.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Gareth's more convinced than ever that an inquiry with
0:23:03 > 0:23:09a much wider remit should be held.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Those failures were alerted to them from 2010.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Yet June Andrews found those failings were being
0:23:14 > 0:23:18repeated four years later.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23Staff on the wards, the nurses, have taken much of the criticism
0:23:23 > 0:23:26for the catastrophe of care in that hospital.
0:23:26 > 0:23:32Not a single manager has been brought to account.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35We've got a situation where police have been brought in,
0:23:35 > 0:23:4014 nurses have been suspended, you've got families still looking
0:23:40 > 0:23:43for answers to questions - why on earth are you still in your job?
0:23:43 > 0:23:47The fundamental difference with the Staffordshire situation was
0:23:47 > 0:23:51that they were, when the inquiry was set up, they were
0:23:51 > 0:23:53in complete denial, we are not.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58We're on public record, go back and look as saying we have
0:23:58 > 0:24:04significant problems here - we have not cared for some people well.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Some of the families think nurses are being hung out to dry and not a
0:24:08 > 0:24:11single manager lost his or her job.
0:24:11 > 0:24:17I do entirely understand why families and patients could be very
0:24:17 > 0:24:25angry and they see me as top of the organisation.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28We understand that two people are being investigated for
0:24:28 > 0:24:34their role whilst managers at the hospital, between 2010 and 2012.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39Dr Bill Kirkup chaired the recent inquiry into Morecambe
0:24:39 > 0:24:44Bay, where mothers and babies died unnecessarily in the maternity unit.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47He says families must be put at the heart of any concerns
0:24:47 > 0:24:50about patient care.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52It's paramount.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56I absolutely don't think any of us can afford to say to people
0:24:56 > 0:24:59there's nothing to see here.
0:24:59 > 0:25:05You have to be open with people, take them into your confidence and
0:25:05 > 0:25:07explain what all the information is.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11You can't afford to close that off without satisfying people's
0:25:11 > 0:25:15desire to understand exactly what's happened.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18He says while families continue to have serious concerns
0:25:18 > 0:25:23about the Princess of Wales hospital, something must be done.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Where people have a level of concern about something that
0:25:26 > 0:25:31hasn't gone away, then we in the service have to be accountable to
0:25:31 > 0:25:34them for answering those concerns.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36It does appear we haven't done that yet,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39so we need to do something else.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Dr Kirkup said any future action would be a matter for the
0:25:43 > 0:25:44Welsh Government.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47We asked the health minister, Mark Drakeford, to be interviewed
0:25:47 > 0:25:49for this programme.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53We had a host of questions for him about the Trusted to Care Review,
0:25:53 > 0:25:57concerns about patient care at the Princess of Wales Hospital, and
0:25:57 > 0:26:00those demands for a public inquiry.
0:26:00 > 0:26:06But Mr Drakeford declined to take part in our programme.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10Today, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives challenged
0:26:10 > 0:26:14the health minister at the Assembly government, saying families were
0:26:14 > 0:26:21desperate and isn't it time they were given a public inquiry?
0:26:21 > 0:26:24A follow-up to the Trusted to Care Review was published this year.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27And it says whilst there are still some problems, the hospital
0:26:27 > 0:26:30is continuing to improve.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34We've had independent experts coming in and looking at that and they say
0:26:34 > 0:26:38there is sufficient progress to indicate we've gone about this with
0:26:38 > 0:26:42huge commitment, huge energy and there have been tangible results.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46We have definitely got more to do to improve elements of care
0:26:46 > 0:26:51in the organisation, and I think there always will be.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54But for the families at the heart of this story, there still remain
0:26:54 > 0:26:58a host of unanswered questions - particularly after the collapse
0:26:58 > 0:27:00of the court case.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04I felt it would give me answers and because it collapsed I now don't
0:27:04 > 0:27:08know those answers, and I don't know I ever will have those answers.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11It's just made me angry about the whole situation
0:27:11 > 0:27:15and I feel I can't properly grieve for my mum, and I haven't been able
0:27:15 > 0:27:20to properly grieve for my mum since she passed away in June last year.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Karen now plans to request her mother's medical records
0:27:23 > 0:27:28from the hospital, with a view to putting in a formal complaint.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31The experience at Bridgend has left Emma wary about her father
0:27:31 > 0:27:34going into any hospital again.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38We don't know what's happening when he's out of our care,
0:27:38 > 0:27:40which shouldn't be the answer.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43We should be able to trust that he will go in
0:27:43 > 0:27:46and have the best possible care.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Veronica says it's the managers who should be
0:27:49 > 0:27:51accountable - not just nurses.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55I would like some answers from health board, I've had nothing
0:27:55 > 0:28:02from health board, they know we are part of the families involved
0:28:02 > 0:28:07and haven't had an apology, I know some families have had apology
0:28:07 > 0:28:11but we as family have had nothing.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16As for Gareth, South Wales Police did investigate other allegations
0:28:16 > 0:28:18of neglect involving his mother.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22But in May of this year, they decided there was insufficient
0:28:22 > 0:28:26evidence for a prosecution.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Along with the other families, Gareth is waiting for the three
0:28:29 > 0:28:32nurses who pleaded guilty to neglect to be sentenced next month.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35He's written a statement he hopes to read to
0:28:35 > 0:28:41the court, to explain the impact it's had on him and his family.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45Lilian begged us not to return her to the Princess of Wales Hospital.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49Her desperate pleas not to be taken back will haunt us to eternity.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53We will never forgive ourselves for not listening to her and returning
0:28:53 > 0:28:57her there against her wishes.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Lilian died three years ago today.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04She leaves many questions and until they are answered,
0:29:04 > 0:29:10the families will struggle to move on It's certainly overshadowed the
0:29:10 > 0:29:17lives of my family and several other families over the last three years.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19And we will keep fighting.
0:29:19 > 0:29:27We will keep fighting for increased openness and transparency.