LUGARNO resident Joy Burrell is still appalled by the treatment she received at St George Hospital earlier this year.
She said the standard of care was so bad the hospital urgently needed to lift its game.
"They treat you like you are an imbecile and they show no respect," she said. "The hospital is understaffed, the nursing staff that are there have no training on how to deal with people and there is no proper management."
She said she complained to the hospital and to Oatley MP Mark Coure.
Mrs Burrell, 81, a psychologist who still has a few clients, was admitted in late February after a "mild" stroke, with the expectation she would be home within a week.
Her problems began when she asked an attendant to help her to the toilet.
"He said 'no, busy, here is a pan on the chair beside the bed'," Mrs Burrell said.
"When I had used the pan, I called for help to climb back into bed.
"It was too high. I couldn't get in, so I just leaned against the bed. I do not remember after that until I was conscious of being in a bed and wheeled into the lift to be taken to the intensive care ward — I was told by my son this was hours later."
Mrs Burrell said she blacked out and fell while leaning against the bed after being left alone. She suffered a bleeding brain, a black eye, a broken bone above her right ear and a large number of bruises.
She later learned from one of her sons that they were told she might need an operation to release blood from her cranium — and that brain damage was a possibility or that she might not pull through.
She remained in hospital for six weeks, had three brain scans, two MRIs and subsequent rehab. While in hospital Mrs Burrell kept a diary, often using her own nursing training at Manly District Hospital as a standard.
"Compared with St George Hospital, I have to say it was well run with those old style 'sister in charge'," she said.
"First, the nurses were taught to respect the patients who were a priority in my opinion, but respect is not in the vocabulary of the modern nurses today.
"Second — yes I know this will be classed as racist — 90 per cent of the nurses are Asian who apparently cannot speak English very well.
"Did they train elsewhere for these magnificent degrees but not taught the concept of caring for human beings, who obviously are not well?"
Mrs Burrell also recounted "poor standard of cleanliness", "appalling food" and general daily disorganisation.
"I went into that hospital a reasonably healthy old woman," she said. "Still seeing my clients for counselling and therapy, travelling the world every year, still socialising and able to hold a reasonable conversation.
"Now, thanks to the negligence of the staff, the thump on my head and three months being incapacitated, I am wondering if I will be able to resume my full life.
"Now, thanks to the budget things may get worse, but . . . with good administration and nurses taught that the patient is the priority, this hospital just may make the class of a top hospital in the St George area."
Are hospital standards slipping?