To think this really is the lowest of the low

[LoopyLou1981]

Just found out that someone has stolen one of the portable DVD players from the children’s ward at our local hospital.
What sort of a scumbag do you have to be to do that?! 😡

I was once the only guest in a seaside B&B and complimented the landlady on the lovely co-ordinated, clearly brand new, bedding, curtains, cushions etc.

She said it was all new because the previous guest had nicked the lot... cushions, duvet, pillows, towels, curtains, rugs (bedside and bath) shower head, lamps, etc. Landlady said 'I did wonder at the time how she managed to carry that massive case upstairs when she arrived'. Of course the case was empty at that point.

I suppose sadly people with alcohol and/or drug problems, are more likely to have children born with medical issues.

We still can't call the perpetrators chavs right? To me chavs are lowest than low, shit on shoe.

I know two people who have had personal belongings stolen whilst being an in patient in a hospital. I was so shocked when I heard this, can’t believe people would steal from an unconscious cancer patient. Then I’ve just read half this thread and realised there are just so many horrible horrible people out there.

My friend is a surgeon. She had her clothes stolen while she was operating on a critically ill patient. She told me it happens all the time and it was seen as her own fault for not locking them away as she was told to.

'The woman I knew - I dated her son when I when I was a teenager. When her kids turned 16, she took out credit in their names that she never paid back. So they all had terrible credit records before even leaving home.'

My cousin's dad did this. Only he also used his identity to lease loads of furniture and tech worth tens of thousands and run off so my cousin wound up getting arrested as he and his dad had the same name. It was a nightmare. His dad had to be prosecuted - and yet he wanted my cousin to take the heat for him and go to prison and get a record!

'The woman I knew - I dated her son when I when I was a teenager. When her kids turned 16, she took out credit in their names that she never paid back. So they all had terrible credit records before even leaving home.'

My mum did this to me.
I will admit I did steal when I was a teenager but, I have never stole since.

Absolute lowlife scum 👎

They were definitely junkies of some sort, and thats prob the reason why their baby was born prem.

Yeah, let's not speculate on the reasons for a baby being born prematurely okay? That's in pretty bad taste. A lot of women who are heroin users are specifically told not to quit when pregnant as the stress of cold turkey could initiate a miscarriage. They're sometimes under pretty close doctors supervision and maintained with methadone and then a plan is in place to support baby after birth to be weaned down until discharge.

Shall we speculate on what your stepbrother's wife did to cause her baby to be born premature? No, I thought not.

Our local paediatric ward writes down the details of each patient/bed it provides toys to, and will phone those parents afterwards if things go missing. Most deny all knowledge, but if they come back, staff know not to provide anything valuable (Nintendo DS's etc). Also cot toys get taken, even when strapped to the cot! Apparently these are very expensive and are costly to replace. The Xbox's are locked in a metal case, but the hard drives are usually missing as these can still be stolen even when locked down.

I've never taken anything from hospital and cannot understand the mindset of people that do. I have been that parent with a child on the ward with absolutely no money. Still wouldn't even dream of it and think very badly of anyone I found doing it. Even when we've had long stays, I go through everything when we are packing to leave, and will let staff know when we've finished packing so that they can remove toys before we leave, so that they don't get stolen.

Oh and we try not to take anything valuable in anymore, as personal belongings from children's individual hospital rooms also tends to be taken if not nailed down.

God this is depressing.

It makes sense though as up until last year I hadn't been in hospital for years. Last year I had to go in a few times and I noticed you are distinctly warned not to leave your belongings around. Even if you're going into theatre for an operation they tell you they can't guarantee your stuff will be there when you get back.

But is it necessarily other patients/visitors or staff?

Some years ago we lived in an area that was regularly targeted by thieves, so much so I was on first name terms with scene of crimes officers, I was told that there is a prevalent attitude of you’ve got it I want it therefore I can steal it, seems to be an awful attitude

A local special school has just had all the fuel lines cut and the fuel stolen from their minibuses for the third time in six months.

@LimonViola unfortunately @missmorleyme is absolutely right. I'm on a neonatal ward right now, typing this, been here nearly 2 months and this is my second prem (due to my respiratory issues) and the amount of scum here is appalling, dad's turning up drunk, babies on methadone treatment, babies with FAS and babies who have a social worker present when parents visit. These people are the lowlifes we see in channel 4 documentaries & crime watch. They flout visiting rules, speak to nurses like scum, loudly ridicule other parents and take the piss when it comes to using the precious resources. Also commenting loudly on the size of my breasts while a nurse is trying to help me establish breastfeeding for the first time- the cunts. And yet the nurses treat them with respect and dignity. I want to take all their babies home with me and tell them to fuck themselves/shoot them in the temple. These poor babies have no lives to look forward to with parents like that, they're the same ones who'll steal the breast pumps

I have had 3 handbags stolen whilst working in hospitals. Some people are just scum.

StylishMum Where in the world are you? That’s sounds awful. I hope you get well soon and get discharged sharpish out of there. It doesn’t even sound safe.

@SpringHurryUp hate to say it but I've been to 3 neonatal units and they've all had a few of the same ilk. It's awful as you can't relax and just spend time with your baby when there's idiots like that on the unit. Absolutely horrible

Its disgusting, isen't it, it just shows the bad side of human nature.

I’m truly shocked this is going on in a civilised country and there’s nothing anyone can do about it

Not all sick people, or their relatives are ‘honest’ or ‘good’ people. I learned that while visiting my gravely I’ll son in hospital. Things donated to the ward were stolen ~ games for the PlayStation etc. After hearing and seeing what I saw, I did not conclude some healthy ‘scumbag’ did it!

The cots in the maternity wards are alarmed so it stands to reason if people are sick enough to steal babies, they’ll steal anything.

Lucrezia ”God this is depressing”
Don’t be depressed ~ the majority of people are good and honest people. Just be ‘on guard’ as thieves operate everywhere ~ churches, schools, care homes, private houses, shops.................there may be fewer of them than those of us who are honest, but their impact is huge.
All of us have to starve them of opportunity by being extra careful.

When DD1 was having cancer treatment, her food kept getting pinched out of the patient fridge. Like many children undergoing treatment, she would be intense cravings, or be hungry late at night/early morning, or want to eat only one or two particular things, so nicking her food meant I couldn't get her what she desperately needed to eat as she was also underweight. We were by no means rich or even comfortable. Completely fucked me off and I started putting her stuff in a container and taping the shit out of it with 'STOP stealing from a kid with cancer!' written on the gaffa tape. It stopped after that.

I can't say I've never stolen anything...I stole some loo roll from the pub I worked at when I was totally skint as a student and confess to swiping a mini milk jug from a café when I was younger because I thought it was cute but stealing from a hospital/charity etc is a whole other level of appalling behaviour!

I also wouldn't dream of keeping someone's wallet if I found it in the street, let alone if they were unconscious after an accident etc

I guess that puts me in the 80% but I definitely think there are levels of severity and theft from a hospital is totally unacceptable IMO

I had my purse stolen when I was in the children's A&E with my poorly Son once.