to be so angry I could cry!!!!?

[jojosmaman]

I have just had a phone call from my mum who has a long term illness and is currently in hospital to say she had had her handbag stolen from her room!! This in itself is awful but the fact is she is in isolation so does not leave her room, ever, except to go to her bathroom (en-suite) so whoever stole her bag did it whilst she was in there or whilst she was sleeping!! She is hard of hearing and wears a hearing aid and so would not have had this in at night so she wouldnt have heard.

Furthermore, and this is what is making me want to really lay into someone, the nurses called for security to come up and speak to her about it but one of the men said they didnt want to go in her room "in case they caught aids or something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". FFS she hasn't got aids (and if she did they wouldnt catch it from talking to her ignorant b***d!) she has aplastic anemeia and the reason she is in isolation is so she doesnt catch anything off them!!! The nurses have made a complaint against them but as you can imagine this has really upset my mum. She really didnt need this on top of everything she has been through over the past couple of years.

She had no cards or money in her bag as she doent need them in hospital but sadly, she also had the ring of her sister who passed away in her purse as my nan had given it to her to look after as she had broken her wrist and couldn't wear it!

I am so sad for her I could cry, some people are absolute effing scumbags.

[EffiePerine]

Your poor mum . Can the staff keep an eye out for the bag - it may have been rifled for cash/cards and then dumped in a bin.

[Indith]

[scattyspice]

How aweful jojo. Your poor mum. I hope the bag is found (unlikely I guess).

[janestillhere]

So sorry. There are some low life gits in every profession. Someone must have been bloody desperate to pinch from someone so vulnerable.
Do they have a list of EVERYONE who may have entered the room in that shift?

[forevercleaning]

no words strong enough to put on here to describe the scum that would do this.

Only hope is that what goes around comes around and something awful happens to them.

[gem1981]

that is awful your poor poor mum
i am so and

how can some people stoop so bloody low?

[EffiePerine]

Unfortunately stealing from hospitals is pretty common

If she's staying for a while, could you get a lock for the cupboard? Or someone else using a cycle lock to secure your bag...

[nappynoonoo]

How awful for your mum.

I hope they find the ba**ds that did this, so angry for you

[AMAZINWOMAN]

some hospitals have "befrienders", where they volunteer their time to chat to people in hospital.

Can you ask someone to talk to your mum. It sounds like she may appreciate some kindness after an awful time.

Im sure there must be complaints procdures too, so you can complain on behalf of your Mum.

[cluttercup]

Your poor Mum. I feel angry for you both.
When my father was terminally ill, someone stole his bank card and took half his savings out of his bank account. For me it wasn't the money, more the ability of some low-life to take advantage of a very vulnerable man.

However, life has a funny way of catching up with scum bags like this...

[ninedragons]

How awful. You should complain to the hospital's management to get the security guard sacked for being a rude shit and not doing his job.

[Callisto]

My MIL had her wedding ring stolen when she was in hospital. She had taken it off because her hands were swollen and put it on the tray thingy that was over the bed and when she woke up it was gone. It was the first time she had removed it in 50 years of marraige.

There are indeed some bastards in the world and I am really sorry that your mum is feeling so down.

Also disgusting behaviour from hospital security. Can you not go to the police?

[OrmIrian]

How terrible. Your poor mum. Security men need a good kicking - ignorant b*stards

[luciavanderposeur]

sod the security guards, phone the police. let them come and talk to security.

[themoon66]

I work in a hospital and we always call the police if there is a theft or such crime. Get a proper crime number and all that.

People wander around hospitals unchallenged all the time. My colleague left her office for two mins and her handbag went missing, with her car keys in it. by the time she'd rushed out to the staff car park, the car had gone too.

We have recently installed CCTV cameras that monitor the corridors outside patients' rooms - most hopsitals have them now. You need to tell staff you want to see the CCTV coverage for the time period.

[LaComtesse]

Complain to the Trust and demand that this investigated properly - they'll know who was on shift or was entitled to enter the room, whether that be nursing staff, doctors, floormen, domestics or whoever. Raise merry hell and demand answers! It may not bring back your mum's back or restore her lost property but it should help them formulate procedures for safeguarding patient's property in future. In particular, the security guard was offensively rude, as well as ignorant and IMHO shouldn't be working in a sensitive environment.

(I work in a hospital btw....)

[LaComtesse]

*bag, not back

[jojosmaman]

Thanks for all your replies, I have calmed down (slightly) now after speaking with DP, we are going to get mum a new purse and bag to cheer her up, not that it will bring back her ring but it might lift her spirits.

What worries me as well is in reality she is vulnerable and I never thought about it before but if someone can walk in and steal her bag then someone could walk in and do worse. She is not old, she is just 54 but a young 54 if you know what I mean, but she is unwell and hard of hearing. Her DH often stays over at the weekends so i think now he is going to stay every night to make sure she is safe.

What is this country coming to when your OH has to sleep with you in hospital to make sure you are ok?! Although from some of your posts it seems quite common

She is getting her DH to take everything home of any value to her and I am going to speak to her tonight to see what has happened about the security idiots.

Thanks for letting me vent

[MummyDoIt]

Jeez, some people are completely despicable. Your poor mother. I can sympathise with how angry you feel as we had an equally appalling incident. My Dad won a huge teddy in a raffle and donated it to the cancer ward of the hospital where he was having his treatment. They raffled it to raise funds for the patients' comforts funds. Some b@stard stole all the money they raised. What kind of scum steals from cancer patients, some terminally ill at that?

[jojosmaman]

Thanks Moon and Comtesse, I think I will speak to her about this, maybe she hasnt got the energy to kick up a fuss but me and her DH will have!! TBH I was very surprised at the lack of security at the hosp, I suppose I am used to maternity wards but I at least expected that I would have to sign in or buzz the ward door to get to her room.

Yes and I am most upset about the security guard to have behaved like this, my mum hates having this illness as for one thing it means she can't see her grandchildren (as they are most likely to carry little bugs and things) and she has C-diff too so doesnt want to pass anything on to them so to have some ignorant buffoon be able to make her feel worse makes my blood boil.

[jojosmaman]

I think that is what makes me feel so sad as well mummydoit, the fact that people steal is bad enough but to steal from a patient or hospital is horrific, they must have no conscience! As others have said though it is obviously not uncommon and there are signs up on my mums ward saying to watch your belongings

[suedonim]

That's unbelievable, Jojosmaman. You mum is only a little older than me, and I don't feel at all old so heaven knows how the elderly cope with that sort of thing in hospital. I hope heads roll over what's happened.

[cushioncover]

Disgusting. Sorry for your mum and angry on your behalf! I'd create merry hell and as mentioned earlier, make sure your complaints are heard by the trust. x

[ninedragons]

God, that's horrible, jajas.