An 80-year-old widow has received an apology from a hospital after her foot became infested with maggots during her stay.

Linda Nelson, 80, of Milburn Road, Gillingham, was admitted to Medway Maritime Hospital on July 29 with kidney failure, ulcerated feet, and other symptoms.

She did not have maggots in her wound when she entered the hospital but seven days into her stay a nurse discovered Linda had fly larvae in her foot.

The discovery was made on the afternoon of Sunday, August 4 but it was left untreated until the following day.

Now home from hospital after a seven-week stay, Linda and her daughter, Amanda Robinson, are urging Medway NHS Foundation Trust to learn from the experience saying, “we don’t want anyone else to go through it”.

In a letter sent to Amanda from Medway NHS Trust following her complaint, and seen by KentOnline, the hospital apologised for Linda’s experience.

It said: “Following a review of Linda’s wound on her right foot, it was found that there was poor wound care and there were maggots present in the wound.”

The letter adds: “We are truly sorry for what happened and for the distress caused to you and your family. This is not the experience we wished Linda to have, and we want to appropriately support you at this time.”

While an investigation is still ongoing, it is understood that during the warmer summer months when Linda was in hospital windows were likely to be open.

As a result, Linda and her family believe that during the time where her wound was left without a cover, a fly had laid its eggs inside.

After her foot was left uncovered in the hospital for a few days, the family say a new dressing was put on and during this time the maggots hatched.

When the bandage was then uncovered on Sunday, it was found that maggots were present in the wound.

Linda, a mother-of-four, said: “I thought where the hell did they come from because I didn’t have maggots before. It was very odd, considering it’s a hospital.

“I could feel them. It was a tickling feeling and when he took the bandage off it was full of maggots looking at you. I wasn’t expecting that.

“He covered it back over and said speak to the medical staff the next day. By then the maggots had got bigger.”

It was not until the following day, August 5, that the infestation was removed.

Linda said: “It didn’t take long to clear the maggots but the problems with my foot aren’t going to go away.

“It was a horrible and nasty experience. It wasn’t necessary.”

That same day Amanda received a call from a nurse who asked her if Linda was receiving maggot therapy, a sterile treatment where maggots are placed in an open wound to clean it.

The 57-year-old said: “They obviously didn’t look at mum’s notes because she was not having maggot therapy.

“It’s absolutely crazy, unbelievable and as a family we are gobsmacked this can happen.

“The treatment has been appalling. How, in 2024, can my mother have these experiences in the hospital.”

In addition, Amanda also complained that the standard of hospital food was inadequate and Linda would not eat it due to it being “inedible”. She lost a stone in weight during her stay.

“I survived on ice creams, mousses and trifles,” Linda said.

Now, local authority worker Amanda, says what her mum would like is a “proper apology” in the form of a personal letter from the hospital.

She said: “It’s not about compensation. An apology and a bunch of flowers would do wonders for Mum.

“We don’t want anyone else to go through what she went through.”

Sarah Vaux, Interim Chief Nurse at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, told KentOnline: “We apologise to Mrs Nelson for the distress caused during her care at our hospital – we are looking at the concerns raised in detail and will share the findings directly with Mrs Nelson and her family once our investigation is complete.’’

In the lead-up to her mother’s stay in hospital, district nurses were supposed to visit twice a week to dress her ulcerated foot, but this care was inconsistent and nurses did not always arrive.

Linda believes the poor care from the district nurses before being admitted to hospital may have worsened the condition of her foot.

However, since being discharged the 80-year-old says the district nurses come every other day to dress her foot and the standard of care has improved.

Stephanie Taylor, Interim Chief Nursing Officer at Medway Community Healthcare (MCH) says: “We are sorry that Mrs Nelson feels that she has not experienced the high level of care we strive to deliver.

“We are working with Mrs Nelson and her family to discuss her experience and to assure them that, as an organisation, we will learn from their thoughts and concerns. MCH is committed to ensuring that any future care is right for Mrs Nelson’s needs.”