MP Brian Mathew holds HCRG talks over syringe reuse and falls concerns
A Swindon patient says supply failures by NHS contractor HCRG left him reusing syringes, as an MP holds talks with HCRG over those and other care concerns.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A man from Swindon says he was left in acute pain after a private contractor failed to deliver medical supplies, forcing him to reuse a syringe.
The patient, who does not want to be identified, injects prescribed painkillers at home seven times a day. He had surgery for pancreatic cancer which left him with chronic pancreatitis. He says the community nursing team run by HCRG Care Group often fails to arrive first thing in the morning, as the NHS used to, to deliver the syringes and needles he needs.
On one occasion, he says he waited throughout the day before deciding he would have to reuse one. He said this was not safe and described trying to stabilise the syringe before use. HCRG Care Group says it does not comment on individual cases, but that concerns about its care are addressed directly with patients and carers.
Concerns have also been raised by the family of another patient. Hugh, 88, has Alzheimer's. His partner Heather says that when Hugh fell at home in August, the HCRG falls team was busy elsewhere. He spent almost three hours on the floor, and Heather says they were never told the team could not come.
A man from HCRG rang but could not make contact with the team that would come and help, according to Heather. Friends eventually helped Hugh from the floor. Heather said she had always been brought up to think that if you dialled 999, somebody would come. She said nobody had rung them and it seemed nobody had rung the emergency services or ambulance service to say they could not attend. She said if she had called 999 again, it would have been like snakes and ladders, and they would have been back to the beginning.
HCRG declined to comment on Hugh's case but says it encourages patients and carers to contact it directly so their concerns can be investigated. Hugh fell again on Wednesday. Heather says it took ten minutes to get through on the phone, but the falls team came quickly this time to get him back on his feet.
The MP for Melksham and Devizes, Brian Mathew, is holding talks with HCRG over these and other concerns. The outcome of that meeting is due to be reported later today.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| An unnamed patient in Swindon reported waiting all day for HCRG supplies and then choosing to reuse a syringe. | |
| HCRG stated it does not comment on individual cases but addresses care concerns directly with patients and carers. | |
| The MP for Melksham and Devizes is in talks with HCRG about the patient's concerns and other issues. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West led its regional coverage with the unnamed Swindon patient's claim that HCRG supply failures forced him to reuse a syringe. It widened the story to a second case involving an 88-year-old man with Alzheimer's whose falls team was delayed in August, and noted HCRG's responses. It also highlighted that the local MP was meeting HCRG over the concerns, giving the story a local accountability angle rather than national policy context.
- “A man from Swindon says he was left in acute pain when a private company failed to deliver his medical supplies.”
- “The patient was forced to reuse syringes while he waited for the HCRG Care Group, which provides NHS community services to arrive.”
- “HCRG says it doesn't comment on individual cases, but that concerns about their care are addressed directly with patients and carers.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.