Two years ago my husband went into hospital in the middle of January in the most foul weather. I was deeply affected to see him trying to get comfort in his distress from a miserable, thin bit of cloth that the nursing staff called "a blanket". It looked like a shabby throw one might use for the dog in summer. I asked for a proper blanket. That medieval scrap that hardly reached his chin and kept no cold out, WAS a proper blanket I was told. When I complained it was explained to me that "he mustn't overheat"! For goodness sake! What about hypothermia? When you are in shock, you need all kinds of comfort, and a decent blanket is one of them.
Yesterday, I went to see my daughter in hospital. There was a shit load of snow dumping outside. She had the same kind of "blanket" and that was what she had slept with the night before. She hardly slept because she was cold and frightened. Her room was no warmer than my bedroom is right now. I'm a healthy person and I sleep with proper coverings.
A blanket is, in my mind, an important piece of healing equipment and one that should be warm, substantial and comforting. Thinking pieces of rag is proper nursing is not good enough.
What the hell is wrong with the NHS that they can't provide my family with decent blankets when they are sick?
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