"Ward Bingo"

Background – My brother, suffers from COPD and is currently receiving palliative care with continuous oxygen and care at home. He lives on his own and depends on the support of myself, my daughter and his care package to help maintain some form of normality.Beginning of November 2022 – My brother was found collapsed at home on this date. We called for ambulance on 999 and he was sent to Accident and Emergency (A&E) at University Hospital Wishaw. After being initially assessed in A&E, he was admitted to the Emergency Care Unit (ECU).The next day - He was transferred to Ward 9.

At the time, communication was lacking as we only found out that he was transferred after we turned up at ECU to visit him.Two days after being admitted – My daughter was called saying that he was fit for discharge from the hospital. She struggled to get him home using portable oxygenand no offer of patient transport was made. Upon arriving home, he collapsed again for a second time, this time in respiratory arrest. This meant another call to 999 for an ambulance and a return to University Hospital Wishaw A&E. He was subsequently transferred to Ward 8.Mid November 2022 – My brother was still in Ward 8.

Neither my daughter or myself had received any communication from the ward about the future plans for my brother’s care, despite the fact that we were visiting him daily. Eventually when asked, a staff nurse informed my daughter that he would be discharged in 5 days and they had assumed that the family would be responsible for his ongoing care even though he had an existing care package in place prior to his hospital stay. Given the deterioration of his health and his mobility, we were concerned that his current level of care outside hospital was insufficient.Two days later, late on this evening (approx. 10:30pm), my daughter received a call from Ward 8 informing her that my brother was being transferred to Ward 6. This transfer was apparently because he was expected to be discharged. Days following move to Ward 6– During the night, he was awakened and transferred to Ward 18. As far as my family and brother were concerned there had been no changes to his health to warrant such a move.

When my daughter arrived at Ward 6 to visit him, staff were unaware of who my brother was or where he was. This is appalling that family are not informed of their relative’s whereabouts within this hospital as it appears to be an issue with more than just one ward.  Following the move to Ward 18, Doctors there determined that he was actually not fit for discharge. We wonder whether the constant upheaval over the weekend led to this decline.The next day – Suddenly, he was fit for discharge. He arrived home, this time by patient transport. He was home for around 15 minutes when he called me explaining that he was struggling to walk, frightened to fall and became incontinent. He was also sent home with diarrhoea.The next day – He was feeling unwell at home throughout the day. During his evening visit from his carers, he was violently sick despite not having eaten and they called my daughter concerned that he was having a seizure.

My daughter asked his carers to call 999 for an ambulance immediately. Myself and my daughter rushed over where we found him covered in sick and then he had a further seizure while waiting on the ambulance. He was rushed in a blue light ambulance back to the hospital. Whilst in A&E, he had a further seizure and was extremely unwell. He spent the rest of the night in A&E and most of the following day whilst they tried find him a bed within the hospital.The next day – He was transferred to ECU in the late afternoon/early evening.  I received a call from ECU informing that he was due to be moved to Ward 10, however this afternoon he was too unwell to be moved.Currently, my brother is still in hospital.Over the course of 22 days, he has been in A&E (x3), ECU (x2), Ward 9, Ward 8, Ward 6, Ward 18 and potentially Ward 10.

We have grave concerns about the continuity of his care as he was moved so frequently and even greater concerns about the fact that he was discharged only to be brought back in an ambulance within 24 hours.This shameful treatment has contributed to a massive decline in his physical health and mobility. This experience has made the hospital feel like a revolving door and has been extremely unsettling for myself and my daughter.