Patients 'shockingly let down by the NHS' - Telegraph.co.uk

But on Friday June 29 he managed to get out of the ward and off the hospital grounds. On two previous occasions he had also got out of the locked ward, getting as far as the reception area and the car park.

The following Monday police found his shoes by the bank of the Cwmbran River. Three weeks later his body was discovered, four miles downstream.

Mr Bowman's son Nick said: "We believed that as he had left the ward twice before, that the medical staff would be especially diligent when keeping an eye on my father. This was not the case."

He added: "My family and I are incredibly hurt and distressed that after my father was admitted to hospital with meningitis, and seemingly making a recovery, he was left without any of the basic care that he deserved and needed."

Common themes in the other cases include patients forced to soil their own beds and the mess only cleared up when pointed out by family members; 'do not resuscitate' orders placed without consultation; and discharge from hospital with adequate planning for ongoing care.

Katherine Murphy, chief executive of The Patients Association, said: "The sad conclusion of this report is that still far too many patients are being shockingly let down by the NHS every day.

"These appalling and tragic cases serve to highlight the devastating consequences when poor practice is left unchallenged and unchanged."

Although they could be dismissed as "isolated cases" she insisted that was not the case: "Behind each one are many more unheard voices."

She continued: "Whilst there is a lot to be proud of about the NHS, including the overwhelming majority of staff who are skilled and hard-working, these cases are a tragic wake-up call for those in Westminster as well as on hospital wards."

A "new culture of care" was needed from NHS trusts, she said.

This year the group has partnered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which regulates hospitals and care homes, in an attempt to translate their findings into action.

A CQC spokesman said it would continue to work with the charity to "drive improvements" in care, adding: "These appalling experiences should not happen."

Sir Richard Thompson, president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: "The distressing cases highlighted by the Patients Association are yet more examples of the lack of care and compassion for patients in an NHS under constant and increasing strain."

He also said the college would be looking at how staff could be "equipped to deliver a high quality, effective and compassionate service" in a forthcoming report, the Future Hospital Commission.

Liz Kendall, the shadow care minister, said the problems were "partly due to the pressures the NHS faces".

But she added: "There are deeper, cultural issues too. Healthcare is becoming increasingly specialised, with the risk that services can end up focusing more on the medical and technical aspects of treatment than on the basic human elements of care."

Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, said: "These cases are shocking and tragic. That's why next year we will introduce new ways of measuring and publishing the experiences that patients have in hospital.

"By shining a light on those organisations which have problems, we will be able to drive up standards so that everyone gets the quality of care they should expect."

A spokesman for Aneurin Bevan Health Board said an internal investigation had been launched into the "tragic incident" of Mr Bowman, adding: "As this case is the subject of a formal complaint it would however not be appropriate to comment further at this time."