An elderly widow has received an apology from a hospital for her 'appalling' treatment - after maggots infested a wound in her foot during her stay.

Linda Nelson was admitted to Medway Maritime Hospital in July with ulcerated feet, kidney failure and other symptoms.

But nurses later discovered maggots in the 80-year-old's foot seven days into her stay.

When the disgusting discovery was made in early August it was still left untreated until the following day - with health professionals later asking if she had been receiving 'maggot treatment', which she had not.

Having finally arrived home in Gillingham, Kent, following a nightmare seven-week stay at the hospital, Linda and her daughter, Amanda Robinson, are now urging Medway NHS Foundation Trust to learn from their 'horrible' experience, saying they don't want anyone else to go through what they have.

In a letter sent to Ms Robinson from Medway NHS Trust following complaints she made, Medway Maritime Hospital apologised for her elderly mother'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."

"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."

Whilst an investigation is still ongoing, it is believed that during the warmer summer months when Linda was in hospital, windows were likely to have been open.

As a result, she and her family believe that while her wound was left without a cover, a fly had laid its eggs inside.

After Linda's foot was left uncovered for a few days, her family say a new dressing was put on and the maggots hatched.

When the bandage was then uncovered, maggots were seen to be present in the wound.

Mother-of-four Linda said she could feel the 'nasty' fly larvae wriggling around in her foot.

She 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 wasn't until the following day that the maggots were removed.

"It didn't take long to clear the maggots, but the problems with my foot aren't going to go away," Linda added. "

"It was a horrible and nasty experience. It wasn't necessary."

The same day in early August that her maggots were finally cleared, Linda's daughter Ms Robsinson received a call from a nurse who asked her if Linda was receiving 'maggot therapy' - a sterile treatment in which maggots are placed in an open wound to clean it.

"They obviously didn't look at mum's notes because she was not having maggot therapy," Ms Robinson, 57, said. "

"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."

The family also complained about the 'inedible' hospital food, saying Linda would not eat it, causing her to lose a stone during her stay.

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

Local authority worker Mrs Nelson believes her mum now deserves a 'proper apology' in the form of a personal letter from the hospital.

"It's not about compensation," she said. "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, said: "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 Linda's hospital stay, district nurses were supposed to visit twice a week to dress her ulcerated foot.

But this care was said by her family to be inconsistent and nurses did not always arrive.

Linda believes the poor care prior to being admitted to hospital may have worsened the condition of her foot.

However, since being discharged she says 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) said: "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."