'Shocking and eye opening"'NHS failings revealed In other instances, a pensioner in her 80s described contracting an infection after being left unwashed for eight days, while a man of 92 said he was told to shout for help if he needed assistance because a broken arm meant he could not reach his call bell. The surveys were carried out for the NHS by a group of independent organisations, including iWantGreatCare, a company set up by a former hospital consultant to monitor patient experiences. It dealt with 95,000 reports, which were completed anonymously by patients between April and this month at 31 NHS trusts, with the remainder dealt with by other organisations. The company described the first set of findings as "shocking" and "eye-opening," while founder Dr Neil Bacon said he wanted to see all the results, including the details of concerns, published in full. He said: "The friends and family test is the first time we have truly known what patients are thinking in the NHS. Not only is the appetite for patients to share their experiences immense, but each review offers an opportunity for a hospital and even specific doctors to listen, learn and improve. We are already seeing that detailed, written feedback collected in real time acts as a smoke detector for hospitals, allowing improvements to be made before catastrophe strikes. At Blackpool Victoria Hospital, one woman in her 80s being treated for heart problems, complained she had not been bathed for eight days and had contracted a skin infection. Another woman, in her 50s, said he was given torn sheets to sleep on and told there were no pillows left, while another said she had found sharp medical instruments covered with blood by her bedside. The trust said the results had provided helpful feedback which would be used to improve the quality of services. At Sherwood Forest Hospitals Foundation trust, one of 11 put into special measures this month after an investigation into mortality rates, a 92-year-old man with a broken arm said he was left unable to reach an emergency alarm, and told to shout for help if he needed assistance. The trust said it would start using fewer temporary agency staff and would recruit to permanent positions "where necessary." Announcing the plans in January, David Cameron said the test was intended to act as "a flashing light" monitoring the quality of care - "if the numbers start to dip down you see a problem and then you know you need to do an investigation," he said. A spokesman for NHS England said: the publication of the results was intended to be "the start of a major shift in the way the NHS talks to its patients and responds to their needs." Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary said: "The publication of the Friends and Family Test results will be an historic moment for the NHS - we will know what patients think about almost every ward, at every hospital, across the country. This simple test will throw a spotlight on both good and poor care, and sends a clear signal to every NHS organisation that patients must come first every time.