"My partner’s treatment by nurses"

I was disgusted by the treatment my partner received by nurses in Cancer Ward 7D. My partner is sharing a room with another patient. They went to use the bathroom and found the toilet bowl had faeces unflushed in the bowl and also over the seat. There was also a spoon with a chemical substance left next to their toothbrush.

My partner rang the bell and asked for the toilet to be cleaned so they could use it. This request was seemingly ignored. Over the next few hours they spoke to 3 different nurses requesting the toilet be cleaned but was, I believe, continually ignored. My partner could not hold their bowels any longer so got up from their bed to look for an alternative toilet on the ward floor.

As I understand it, the nurse started yelling at my partner, telling them you can’t walk around the ward. The nurse told my partner there was no toilet available for them to use. The nurse flushed the toilet in my wife’s room but didn’t clean the seat of faeces or remove the chemical spoon and, I believe, rudely told my partner they had to use the dirty toilet.

My partner refused and walked into an empty room and walked towards the bathroom. The nurse yelled at my partner again and told them they can’t use that toilet. My partner ignored the nurse and used the toilet.

When I arrived at visiting time, two nurses went to go and see the other patient in the room and my partner asked them again about the toilet. One of the nurses did start to reply to my partner but, as I understand it, the accompanying nurse told their colleague they were to have no dialogue with my partner. I said who do you think you are talking to go and get someone higher than you, I want to talk to them.

The ward matron came in and asked my partner what the problem was as my partner was visibly upset. When my partner told the ward matron what happened, they apologised for what had happened and organised for a cleaner to come. The ward matron said there was a toilet that my partner could have used on the floor, which is made available for visitors. My partner told the ward matron that the nurses had said there was no toilet my partner could use and had to use the dirty one.

My partner is meant to be on complete bed rest with as little stress as possible and this treatment by the nurses on the ward was, in my opinion,  unprofessional to say the least. I feel that my partner was talked to in this matter because of their darker complexion which is unfortunate in these modern times. It was a simple phone call the matron made to have the toilet cleaned, something I believe the nurses could have done but chose not to.