Carol McGiffin slams the NHS after her tragic sister Tracy was ‘repeatedly pressured in to being discharged’ despite having no ‘palliative home care’ and was ‘days away from death’
The presenter’s sister died in January following a short battle with cancer
CAROL McGiffin has revealed how she feels the NHS badly let her sister Tracy down in the days leading up to her death last month.
Tracy was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer four months before she died and now Loose Woman Carol, 54, has blasted the NHS for pressuring her into being discharged from hospital when she was days away from dying and had no palliative care options.
After watching BBC documentary, Hospital, Carol wrote in her Best column: “I better understand the difficult choices that have to be made when prioritising patients, especially when people are piling up in A&E and missed target times are hitting the news.
“But that doesn’t totally excuse what happened with my sister, Tracy, who was repeatedly pressured into being discharged, despite there not being any palliative care home in place, and despite the fact she was seriously ill and, as it turned out, days away from death.”
To add to the family’s upset, Carol goes on to allege that staff would only approach Tracy about being discharged when she was alone.
“Worse still, the hospital staff seemed to wait til she was alone before going in and talking to her.
“It stressed her greatly and probably didn’t help with her condition.
“Other people may have been waiting for her bed, but how much more deserving to you need to be?”
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Two weeks ago Carol, who battled cancer herself, wrote about her grief over losing her sister.
“When my little sister, Tracy, was diagnosed four months ago, it didn’t seem real.
“I knew she was going to die, but I kind of hoped that it would be later… like, years away.
“Now, when I find myself saying the words, ‘My sister died last weekend,’ it still doesn’t seem real.
“Perhaps because it hasn’t properly sunk in yet, or that I’m just not ready to believe it.”