My Mum

[haveabeer]

My 87 year old mother was taken into hospital on Monday suffering with confusion and the loss of Mobility
She was well looked after in A&E albeit that it took 24hrs to find her a bed in a ward.
We where told that she would go into a ward that caters for the elderly but this never happened ended up in a general ward.
The care that she receives in this ward is appalling a complete lack of understanding and no compassion whatsoever the staff in the majority are less than helpful I approached the nurses station to ask a question suddenly phones where picked up along with notes and the others suddenly had to leave.
I spotted the ward sisters door and she was sitting at her desk as I approached she picked up the phone and shut the door.
I ended up talking to a nurse that did try to help but really did not know anything about my mum.
I eventually spoke the ward sister after telling my thoughts on her actions.
She just looked and said that she was short staffed and very busy seemed plenty staff to me, she also new little about my Mum.
Both my sister and I asked if Mum had been checked to see if she was dehydrated and was assured that it was not that.
Mum was shaking really badly the nurse come over plonked three tablets down and turned and left I asked how she was supposed to take them as her hands where shaking water was going everywhere in the end I held the cup to her mouth the nurse just stood there and watched, next morning I walked in to find that she had a jug of water but no beaker to drink out off.
But to cut a very long story short we insisted that she be checked again for dehydration and low and behold it was confirmed last night and that Mum was to be put on a saline drip for three days as she was very Dehydrated this may or maybe not be the reason for her condition.
After all the recent news about NHS hospitals no lessons seemed to have been learnt.
We complained to the a Dr who said sorry but all the staff in that ward are Agency
There where plenty more incidents whilst I was there its very upsetting to see the way elderly patients are treated

[Suekersh]

That is disgraceful. What an awful position to be in. Is there anything further that can be done to get it reported higher up the NHS. would your local MP help? I am not sure how these things work.

I hope you get some satisfaction from somewhere or someone. I would feel so helpless in your situation.

Sue

[Boris+]

Hi HaB,

My heart goes out to you - I know what you are going through.

Keep behind the situation, don't give up. Keep your pecker up - and be proud that you are supporting your Mum so well.

All the very very best.

Em

[Kendhni]

Hopefully your mother will make a speedy recovery HaB,
I have recently experienced both the good and the bad from our NHS with the good mainly being seen from foreign agency staff and the bad from local staff ... it is shame because overall they do provide a good service but often seem to fall at mid-race hurdles. Also I am very happy that Julie has been sent to a fantastic private clinic in Dublin for her treatment .. paid for by the NHS .. the difference is like chalk and cheese

[katiecrunch]

My Dad was in hospital recently for 5 days and while I found all the individual staff to be very kind and caring, the organisation and communication were non existant. He's 92 and has Alzheimers but they never asked us about how much help he needed or told us anything unless we asked. He was getting up and dressing himself in the morning but it had to be pointed out to them after a couple of days that he wasn't having a wash and was in the same underwear he arrived in. When he was discharged we got a call from someone who didn't know anything about him and I collected him from the discharge lounge where again they didn't know him. I was a nurse in the 70s and there were more qualified staff on the ward than in my day when students made up a lot of the work force so it seems a shame that that people are so poorly looked after.

[Jean W]

I'm so sorry to hear about your Mum and I hope she is getting better.

We have had similar experiences with our local Hospital. Thankfully all was well in the end but the worry along the way - you just couldn't make it up. There are some good and concerned people out there, although it may not seem like it at the moment.

I'm sure you will do this, but please make notes of all the happenings. I appreciate that may be the last thing on your mind, but we all forget things

Good wishes to your Mum and take care of yourselves.

Jean

[Andrea S]

I am sorry to hear about your Mum. It is bad enough going into hospital at any time but for older people it is far more traumatic. Dehydration is the first thing I thought they checked on for confusion. Any patient should be on a ward appropriate for their needs to get the correct care. I know first hand how many wards are staffed by agency workers who are never on a ward long enough to get to know either the staff or patients. Your local hospital will have a Patient Advice and Liaison Service
( PALS) who may help you and will certainly listen to your concerns. I do hope she is soon feeling better.

[jay-ell71]

Oh dear, how distressing for you all. I suppose they decided that your Mum was elderly so that was why she was confused. Not good enough. I really cannot understand how the nursing staff, agency or otherwise, are unable to see that someone would be unable to drink or eat without assistance. We seem to be expected to move into hospital with our sick relatives and attend to their needs just like they do in third world countries.
I have to say that when my OH was in hospital last year his care, and that of the others on the ward, was more than satisfactory in our local Cheltenham hospital, but clearly that is not always the case.
I hope your Mum will soon be better, and can return home. Jay

[noddy10]

Cannot give you any advice of where to complain haveabeer but you must try and find out and make an official complaint because if you dont things will never change. How can the nurses ever be caring and good at there job when they are led by Ward Sisters like that. Good luck and hope your mother is improving and on the mend.

[Dancing Queen]

HaB, firstly I wish your mum a quick and speedy recovery., if you have anything which you believe needs addressing then I believe you can request a meeting with the CEO of the hospital or at the very least with a senior member of the board, I'm not sure how you would do this but I would think your local Health Authority should give you the information of who to contact, failing that try CAB they will certainly have the information.

Unfortunately this is not an isolated case, my husband spent the first three months of last year in and out of hospital and I was appalled at the lack of care not just to him but to others, it is very difficult to weigh up what is the best thing to do, I would have been quite justified in making an official complaint about some of the treatment or should I say lack of it that my husband received, I got to the point where if I wanted answers I had to seek out someone more senior than the nursing staff ( I am not decrying the nurses the majority of them are very helpful ) IMO there are far too many "pen pushers" in the NHS earning huge salaries and not enough nurses and/or correct management, I appreciate they all have a job to do but what you say about picking a phone up or a file of papers - another one is not making eye contact ...ignorance at it's best and totally unacceptable !!

I was quite fortunate that I managed to speak to the consultants second in command one day, a lovely lady that once I had spoken to her if she was on duty at visiting she would make a point of looking for me to ask if I had any questions or concerns, this of course may have been a PR exercise because the only reason my husband was in hospital was because of a "mistake" they made in another department and I had made it very clear that this might be taken futher.

At the end of the day I did nothing it was just a huge relief to have him out of that place but I have no confidence whatsoever in the NHS, I just feel very sorry for the 100's of people in hospital that do not have someone like me or you to be their voice, I saw so much of it and it is heartbreaking.

[lovely lady]

Hi Haveabeer,

I am so sorry to hear about the treatment of your Mother, sadly this is now becoming country wide. Do have like us a Patient Group within the Hospital where you can take all your concerns to. I do hope that your Mother gets better quickly and is treated with the respect she deserves.

LL

[JoanneB]

Just looked on Google at how to complain and found this on here http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Rights ... aints.aspx

Patient Advice and Liaison Service

Officers from the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) are available in all hospitals. They offer confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters to patients, their families and their carers. You can find your local PALS office at the Office Directory at PALS Online.

NHS Direct can advise on NHS complaints. Call 0845 4647.

[oldbluefox]

I'm very sorry to hear about your mum haveabeer and hope she makes a good recovery. I would certainly be making steps about making your complaints known since unless you do say something matters will never improve.
We were very fortunate when my in laws went into hospital. They had excellent care and were well looked after. However it seemed to us the nurses spent as much time filling in charts and doing paperwork than they did nursing and on the wards they were quite obviously understaffed.
On the flip side of the coin we have to visit hospital on quite a regular basis. In some areas there are scarcely enough nurses to go around whilst in others they are trailing around with little to do and in order to get where we should be sometimes involves 3 separate reception desks, all highly staffed. Staffing in our hospitals and use of resources is at best unbalanced and at worst a shambles.
Best wishes for your mum haveabeer.

[haveabeer]

Thanks for your best wishes

I am back in Croydon next week and will certainly be looking to make a complaint strangley enough i spotted a sign in the main reception area
that said Pals i think but it was unmanned.
I have just phoned the hospital no change at moment but they did say she is getting a bit agitated glad that my sister is on her way there

[gfwgfw]

Mr HAB

I must carefully "buck the trend"

Poole Bay and its near neighbours are without a doubt excellent at caring for it's above average aged community

My thoughts are with you and your nearest and dearest

Kindly

Graham

[paultheeagle]

I hope your Mum gets better soon HaB

[Delboy]

I do feel extremely sorry fo those who have had a bad experience on the NHS, and my thoughts go out to havabeer and your mother.

I have personally had to call on the services of the NHS on two occasions over a 3 month period, the last time at the end of February. When as a result of myself experiencing excruciating chest pains, which resulted in my wife having to call out the paramedics I was rushed into Colchester Hospital late at night, my heart beat which on average should have been between 60 to 100, having dropped to 33.

Hence my lack of posting on the forum, or any other fora, during March.

During my time in Hospital and since, I have nothing but praise for the NHS and my local Doctors, and the treatment I have received.

The attention I received in Hospital by all concerned was first class, I don't how many Doctors and Consultants I saw during my brief stay, the nurses were excellent and very caring. They have since arranged for me to have every test going, to try and find the cause of the problem, including a Dubutamine stress Echocardiogram and an Endoscopy test, of which I am still awaiting the biopsy results.

Whilst in Hospital, I had regular blood tests, ECG's and X-rays and as I said could not fault the Hospital, even although this Hospital were mentioned in a report recently, as one of the Hospitals needing attention.

In regards to Colchester Hospital, since it was built many years ago, there has been a large increase in the local population, with many large housing estates being built, all within close proximity of the hospital, it is now too small to be able to cope efficiently with the numbers requiring their services.

I live 14 miles away, so it covers a very large catchment area.

[paultheeagle]

Blimey Derek, you kept that quiet..Glad to hear you are on the mend.

[haveabeer]

Derek
Glad to hear you are on the mend
I am sure my experiences are in the minority well I would hope so

[Sealion]

Having an elderly mother myself Hab I do feel for you and hope she makes a good recovery and is soon home. Fortunately our experiences have been with A&E and Minor Injuries and the care and attention has been excellent. However I do feel that there is a widespread lack of compassion and understanding of the needs of the elderly in the NHS, which is not being solved.
i always say if Mum had to go into hospital and I was concerned about standards I would whip her out pronto and care for her myself, although this might not be the right course of action for all.
Certainly kick up a fuss and contact Pal's. I complained to this body when I became involved in an incident when walking down to the local shops a couple of winters ago. A very elderly lady collapsed on the pavement and another passer by asked me to assist. This was just next to a large health centre and I dashed inside and asked for a doctor and nurse to come and help. I was told firmly to use my mobile and phone for an ambulance. Not one of the many medical staff came out to see her and it later transpired she was one of their patients and had actually been in the surgery. I was so angry that I telephoned and wrote a letter of complaint to Pals and a full investigation ensued.

[haveabeer]

Well after a few choice words with the Matron who was horrified at the way Mum had been treated on the ward, it appears that they are now listening to us.
Mum was very agitated last night dr prescribed some medication and a saline drip to be put in when i rang this morning the drip had been removed and she had not been given any medication.
But as i said things seem to be progressing hospital rang to say that she is much more herself today albeit still confused and my sister rang to say she is feeling much better so lets hope Mum is on the road to recovery.
the next battle will be with the council to get her moved
Thank you all for your kind words, i needed somewhere to vent my frustration

[Andrea S]

Haveabeer, that is good to hear some improvement in your Mums care.
I am sure the more fluid she takes in the confusion will disappear. The next stage for you sounds the normal battle with Social Services / Local Council. Will she ever be able to return to get own home.? If so maybe she will go in a rehab unit until well enough to look after herself. If this isn't the case will it be a residential home ? These vary so you need to do a lot of looking around.I do hope everything is soon sorted for all if you.

[trixie]

Hi Haveabeer,
I was so sorry to hear about your mum ,this must be so worrying for you. I think you should be able to contact the 'Care Quality Commission' about any concerns . They have a website and at the bottom of the page is a phone no to contact them on. I think it is definately worth speaking to them as they should look into things for you.
I hope your mum is feeling much better soon
Trixie

[jay-ell71]

HAB......... How is your Mum today? I think you will find that we all want to know that she is getting there. Jay

[haveabeer]

Hi Jay

Saturday & Sunday were awful I can't remember a more stressful time I spent all
Day yesterday chasing people at the hospital I ended up losing my rag and found the ward matron after that things moved on at a pace Drs and nurses suddenly appeared and today mum is starting to respond still a long way to go.
It took five days to get a blood test done and when they did do one they found an infection which they are now treating.
Whilst speaking to the Matron I asked if she could be moved to a elderly speciality ward I was told that all the beds taken but low and behold today mum has been moved there.
I am driving up to Croydon tomorrow to view a new home for mum and I have an appointment with the Ward Matron.
My concerns are that my mum had us to look out for her but there are many that don't what happens to them who fights there corner