Stroke survivor says nurses treated him like a “dog” due to his bald head and tattoos

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

A stroke survivor claims he was treated like a ‘dog’ by hospital nurses because of his bald head and tattoos. 

Mark McDonald alleges nurses at Lewisham Hospital yelled at him, refused to make his bed and made him sleep on a faulty blow-up mattress.

He also claims he was left with a badly bruised arm after a member of nursing staff struggled to fit a tube in a vein during his 24-hour stay on the hospital’s stroke rehabilitation ward in October.

The 59-year-old dad, who suffers from emphysema, said he was so upset about his treatment by staff on one ward last year that he ended up in tears. 

He believes nurses singled him out because of his appearance and mistakenly thought he was a racist. 

He said: “I never want to go back. They looked at me like I was some scummy racist because I have a bald head and tattoos. I’m not a scumbag. I like tattoos and I like body art, so what? 

“There was no benefit of the doubt whether I was a good person or a terrible person. They treated me like a piece of crap. They treated me like a dog. They made my life a misery. 

“All I cared about was getting away from the nurses. I was crying about the way I was treated on that ward.”

Mr McDonald was admitted to Lewisham Hospital on October 7, 2023 with severe headaches that left him unable to walk or sit up. Following tests at the hospital, it was discovered he had suffered a stroke.

He spent the first few days of his stay on one ward, where he described the staff as ‘respectful’ and ‘lovely.’ 

But on October 12, he was moved on to the second one, and it was there that Mr McDonald said his problems began.

Shortly after arriving on the ward, he claims a nurse tried to fit a cannula in his wrist but was unable to do so. 

The same nurse then allegedly scolded Mr McDonald for his tattoos, which he claims she blamed for being unable to locate a vein. 

Mr McDonald said he was then sent for a CT scan in another area of the hospital without a cannula fitted. But when he arrived, he was told by a member of staff that he should have a cannula and was told to return to the ward to get one.

Upon arriving back at the ward, Mr McDonald said a nurse shouted at him for not having a cannula, despite another member of nursing staff on the ward having been unable to find a vein to fit one just a few hours earlier. 

Mr McDonald left the hospital the following day on October 13 and submitted a formal complaint to Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust about his treatment two weeks later on October 29.

He is now recovering from his stroke at his home in Lewisham.

A Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT) spokeswoman said: “Patient care is a key priority for us at LGT, so we were sorry to hear that Mr McDonald was disappointed with the treatment he received here. We are investigating his complaint and have already apologised verbally to Mr McDonald. 

“This will be followed up in writing once our investigations have concluded. We always welcome feedback that helps us to improve patient experience, so would encourage him to contact us directly if he has any outstanding concerns.”

Pictured top: Mark Mcdonald said he believes nurses judged him for his bald head and tattoos (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)