Humiliation Edith Braddow

Humiliation beyond belief: Widow, 77, forced to undergo an incontinence test to get her NHS prescription.

For the last few years, she has counted on the health service to afford her dignity and security in her old age.

But now a blind 77-year-old widow has been left feeling dehumanised and humiliated by those who were supposed to be looking after her.

Edith Braddow, who was prescribed incontinence pads by a local clinic after being referred by her GP, says she was told to bring in three soiled pads if she wanted to continue to receive them.

A packet of eight women’s incontinence pads costs £2.35 in Boots, or around 29p each. Mrs Braddow said: ‘I was totally disgusted. I’ve worked all my life, but it seems nobody bothers about us oldies now.’

Her son Ivan said: ‘For some time, my mother has had incontinence pads through the local clinic and she’s had to go there for regular assessments.

‘She’s been given measuring cups to measure quantities of urine at home and we put it down on a chart and took that into the clinic.

‘The problem came a couple of months ago when she was called in for another reassessment. She was told to bring in three soiled pads. I was incensed, but we put three pads in a carrier bag.

‘When we got there the nurses actually weighed each pad in front of us and referred to some kind of scale. They said it was a new method they had to assess to see how much she was using.

‘Then they told us that it didn’t appear she was producing enough urine and that due to the cuts she would no longer be entitled to any pads unless she paid for them.’