The NHS

Just over 60 years ago, my parents became the first generation to pay National Insurance contributions. They were promised a bright future, with good education, good healthcare and, through the welfare state, they were promised that they would be looked after by the state in their old age.

So... please will someone explain to me why my 87 year old father is now seriously ill in hospital (not because of the operation for which he originally went in) and social services are not interested in helping me put together a care package to support my mum (who is going blind, although very active and bright considering she's 84 years old) or my dad, should he be fortunate to survive and come home from hospital?

And - while you're at it - can you explain why my brothers are doing nothing to support mum, dad or me?

Dad went into hospital three weeks ago for a knee replacement. He was due to go in the following week, but the hospital phoned him to say they'd had a cancellation and would he like to come in a week early. He went in at 7am and sat around all day in an uncomfortable chair, in a hospital gown, without food or drink, until 4pm when a nurse announced that the surgeon had run out of time and therefore my father would have to go home.

That sparked my first complaint. My second complaint came when, following a call to the hospital I was informed he would have to wait until April as his original slot had been filled. Miraculously, the slot became free and he went in two weeks ago.

He should have been out after five days. Unfortunately, he had a mild stroke following the operation but with no obvious effects (apart from some weakness on the side where he'd had the knee replacement). Amazingly, he started to try to move his leg but then, while mum was visiting, he started to be violently sick - as did other patients on the ward. The nurses shut the ward but told my 84 year old mum she could stay... They didn't prevent her from visiting the next day either, or stop her from cleaning my dad up because he had soiled himself.

They moved him into a small room on his own. The next morning he phoned mum in tears because he was freezing. Third complaint to the hospital - only to be told, and I can still hardly believe this myself, that because of cuts to the budget and because they had no money to spend until April, they were no longer heating single bed rooms.

My dad has heart problems, low blood pressure, a new knee, the norovirus, yet no heating.

Speechless.

Mum went and bought a single duvet and a hot water bottle and risked the infected ward to take them in to him yesterday.

I now have the direct line to the Chief Executive at Derriford Hospital. There is now heating in his room.

Through all this my poor mum has been struggling. As she can no longer drive she's been catching the bus to and from the hospital every day. I have been down as much as I can (not easy as a single, working mum; my little brother doesn't work...) and I've been fortunate to have a very understanding head who has given me time off, but couldn't go this weekend. Mum is terrified that I will catch the bug and, although I haven't told her, I fell down the stairs at school on Thursday and I can hardly walk, never mind drive to Devon. I too am terrified - that Mum will get the bug.

The National Health Service and the Welfare State and the promise of care for life. Yeh, right.