NNUH ... some progress. Thank you.

Anna Dugdale is the Chief Executive at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), where Averil was taken after being found unconscious at her University flat.

The NNUH hospital failed Averil in many ways and it is clear that they did not provide appropriate care for her. As a result Averil's condition became critical and she was later transferred to Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge.

After rebutting our initial complaint about Averil's care, I met with Anna Dugdale and she agreed to an independent review of Averil's care at the hospital in which we would be involved. She agreed to be open and honest and to answer all of our questions and she agreed to try and implement change from the findings of the review.

Although there is much to do at NNUH, we can at last see the seeds of change, and for that we are very thankful.

Anna has also made it far less painful for us than other organisations such as CPFT and NNCCG, in getting answers to what happened and why.

Anna has treated us with respect and dignity, an experience which has been totally lacking from the other NHS organisations we have been dealing with.

By working with us and recognising that failures occurred, Anna Dugdale has not only saved Averil's family the pain of having to fight to get answers, she has also saved the hospital time and money.

More importantly, Anna may be saving lives in the future by implementing change for vulnerable patients that arrive at the acute ward with advanced Anorexia Nervosa. 

Nic 05/09/2014