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"Lost/ or stolen jewellery "

About: University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

My very elderly mother was in Bournemouth hospital in September 2022 in OPAU ward 25 when both her hearing aids were lost & most importantly her husband’s (my dads) wedding ring which she wore for the last 10 years since he died. This wedding ring was of great sentimental value & I was referred to PALS for compensation. As you can imagine my very elderly mother is beside herself & all I have been told by PALS is that I need to buy some other jewellery & send them the receipt so they can re-imburse me. This is nonsense as all they would be doing is sending me money for something I have just bought & not compensating for the lost wedding ring!

My mum passed away last week so never got to see that ring again & I won’t have it now as the only next of kin it was left to me.

This a incredibly upsetting situation & I have numerous other things to take care of now so really would like this resolved as soon as possible.

Thank you

Fiona Crawford

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Responses

Response from Patient Engagement Liaison, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust 2 years ago
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
Submitted on 13/12/2022 at 13:49
Published on Care Opinion at 13:49


Dear Fiona

We are so sorry to read your comment, not only for the loss of belongings but also for the recent loss of your mother. Our condolences to you and your family. This must have compounded the sentimental loss of the jewellery, as there is no reimbursing for the sentimental attachment.

We have spoken with PALS who told us the steps they have taken regarding the offer of reimbursement for a replacement as well as also raising the concerns with the hospital security team. We understand that as a result of the PALS investigation that you were unhappy with the outcome and they have subsequently passed this to the complaints team for a further investigation for you which is ongoing.

Sadly, hospitals are easy targets for criminals as they are large public spaces which cannot be easily secured due to patients needing to get to appointments and family and friends visiting loved ones, sometimes at the end of life.

Staff are warned to lock offices and secure their personal belongings and patients are advised not to bring valuable personal belongings to the hospital with them, but despite the efforts from security, staff and patients still continue to have items go missing.

While it is possible to reimburse people for lost items, this does not account for the inconvenience of having to replace lost items and nothing will ever replace the sentimental attachment connected to the items lost.

We are truly sorry for the loss and upset this has caused you and are doing all we can to rectify the parts we can but understand we can never replace the emotional loss.

Regards

Patient Experience Team

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