THE John Radcliffe Hospital was today named in a report which said the NHS is failing to treat older people with care, compassion, dignity and respect.

Ann Abraham, the parliamentary and health service ombudsman, revealed in the report patients had suffered unnecessary pain, indignity and distress.

It also described how the life support machine of an elderly man at the Oxford hospital was switched off without his family’s permission.

The report highlighted a number of problems at hospitals around the country, which stretched from poor communication with patients to failure to provide clean and comfortable surroundings.

Ms Abraham said: “These often harrowing accounts should cause every member of NHS staff who reads this report to pause and ask themselves if any of their patients could suffer in the same way.

“I know from my caseload that in many cases, the answer must be ‘yes’.”

The Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust (ORH) apologised for the incident which saw the life-support machine of a patient – named only as Mr C – turned off without the family’s permission.

Chief nurse Elaine Strachan-Hall said: “In this instance, it seems that procedure was not followed and we are very sorry that this was the case.

“I am sorry that we were not able to resolve the issues with the family in this case and that ultimately they felt they needed to raise them with the health ombudsman.

“We accept the comments made by the ombudsman and have moved already to learn from this case.”

The report comes a month after the Care Quality Commission raised concerns about patient waiting times and staff shortages in Oxfordshire.

The ORH failed to meet four out of 16 care standards and was given 28 days to come up with an action plan to deal with the issues.

Karen Witney, from Headington, welcomed the new report and hoped it would improve standards of care for patients. Her husband Andrew, 56, died in August last year after a five-year cancer battle, but an inquest found trial drugs may have accelerated his death.

She said: “This highlights the importance of standing up and I’m hopeful of better treatment in the future.”

Tell us about your experiences of care at Oxfordshire’s hospitals – call the newsdesk on 01865 425445.