Patient put on bloodstained bed

One of the family took pictures with her mobile phone

A family are complaining after a grandmother found she was lying on a hospital trolley stained with another patient's blood.

It is not known how long the blood had been on the trolley which Joan Bennett, 71, was put on in A&E at the Kingsmill Hospital in Nottinghamshire.

When they complained, a nurse said it was "minging" but did not clean it up.

The hospital has apologised and launched an investigation into what happened on Christmas Day.

It made you feel sick. The blood went the length of the trolley Michelle Webster, grand daughter

They also defended standards of hygiene at the hospital.

Ms Bennett was admitted after fainting at her home in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.

Her daughter, Sue Godney, who lives in Tibshelf, Derbyshire said: "She went to get hold of the mattress to help herself up and I told her to stop because I thought it looked a bit like rust on the bottom of the bed.

"But it wasn't it was blood, lots of it."

They took photographs of the stains on the metal railings of the trolley with a mobile phone.

Granddaughter, Michelle Webster, said: "It made you feel sick. The blood went the length of the trolley she was on.

No cleaners

"It wasn't wet, it wasn't new blood it looked like it had been there for a few days.

"We called a nurse to come and have a look and she described it as 'minging'."

Despite complaints, the family claim Ms Bennett was not moved or the trolley cleaned.

Ms Godney added: "We lifted up the mattress to show the nurse. She didn't come and change the bed or the trolley and she didn't get a cleaner to come.

"As far as I know it was still there when we left."

Jeffrey Worrall, chief executive of Kings Mill Hospital, said: "We are horrified by [the photos].

"We think it is a dreadful state of affairs that a patient has been left on a trolley with blood on it after a previous patient."

Mr Worrall has also invited the family to the hospital to discuss the matter.