These days, even a good NHS hospital can be a frightening place

Let’s not pretend that it’s just those hospital trusts investigated, or put on ‘special measures’ by Jeremy Hunt that are the problem. On my weekly trot around the wards of a big London teaching hospital, everything seems fine, the patients reasonably clean and well cared for. But over the months I’ve noticed that, even here, the NHS service is just not what it was — so many bits are being pared away.

First I met one of the hospital’s ‘Friends’, almost all of whom are now doughty ladies in their eighties. She mentioned that they are using some of their hard-won charity money to fund an art therapist who has been having a very good effect on stroke patients. The NHS no longer pays for them.

I remember when becoming an art therapist was a good option for an art student. It was a long and involved training, in art, teaching and counselling, but it led to fulfilling well-paid work. Only four years ago I met a young woman who was going into it after art school in the hope of lots of work. I thought she was a little bit optimistic at the time.

I made my usual visit to a man of 93 who has vascular dementia. He was very happy today after a short walk assisted by a nurse. I noticed that his feet looked awful, with long, twisted toenails and rough gnarled lumps of nail accruing on some toes. He told me that his own doctor had made an appointment with a chiropodist for him, and he was still waiting. That was eight years ago. I asked the ward sister if they could get him a hospital chiropodist.