"My Mum's care"

I really have mixed emotions about Wishaw General Hospital. My mum spent a significant amount of time here in various wards. 

My mum was admitted to ward 11 having suffered a stroke whilst receiving cancer treatment. The staff were reasonably good in this ward but seemed very under pressure. I felt that the staff were very militant about visiting and would not allow you in 5 minutes early or 5 minutes past visiting time. A nurse was very rude to my mum, telling her she was not their only patient and basically it was tough that she had been waiting for hours to go to the bathroom.

My mum got moved from here to the Beatson to finish her cancer treatment. When she was admitted to the Beatson she was severely dehydrated and had a blocked bowel. This was despite her being hospitalised in Wishaw for over a month. 

When my mum returned to Wishaw, her medication was changed without discussion. The pain relief she was put back on was not suitable and she suffered in pain every day. She was not allowed an air mattress and had to lie flat on the bed to relieve the pressure. 

Since her stroke my mum was unable to eat or keep any food down. She was sick every single day. No one seemed able to explain this and it felt like no further investigations were made. 

My mum eventually got home. She slowly deteriorated at home. She saw no stroke nurse or physio at home. She received minimal equipment and everyone seemed to pass the buck on whose responsibility it was to chase this equipment. 

My mum got rushed back to hospital. She was very very ill. She was in resus overnight and kept in A&E for over 24 hours. As a family we were only allowed in one at a time. We were frantic with worry. The amount of time waiting for a bed was horrendous and the staff were very rude about us sitting with my mum. She was so sick and we were told there wasn't visiting in A&E, despite many other patients having people with them.  I appreciate that staff are under pressure and the NHS is in a terrible state, but I really think staff could be more compassionate to families. Unless you seek a doctor out you get told nothing and I feel that staff are like prison guards when it comes to visiting. 

My mum got moved from A&E to the emergency care ward where I seen 6 different people visiting a women across from my mother in the space of a couple of hours. There is no consistency at all and my mother was expected to sit critically ill on her own but others had their whole family with them?? 

My Mum got moved to ward 5. The staff in ECU told us she was doing good. When we visited that evening we were shocked. Our mother had clearly deteriorated was very distressed, confused, cold and generally very sick. In what planet what we seen was considered good is baffling. 

We raised concerns about Mum's swallowing and her breathing. We were told there was nothing worrying the Doctors. She was progressing well. We seen a doctor who told us that our Mum was not in his view approaching end of life. She was dead a week later. 

Mum was  suddenly moved to Ward 6 from 5.  We were not advised of this in advance and she was moved from a private room to a shared ward. She was getting sicker by the day. Almost immediately she was put on Nil by Mouth in Ward 6 due to swallowing issues. We were told a few days earlier in Ward 5 this was not a concern.

Eventually we were informed the prospect of her recovering was slim as treatment wasn't working. My mum died aged 59 years old.

She was badly let down by the System. Everyone could only say they were dealing with the acute issues that they were presented with. I find it hard to believe that Doctors with cancer, stroke and general medical experience could not have held a multi disciplinary meeting to assess all of my mum's conditions and a plan devised for treatment. By the time she had a Consultant who was actually paying attention to how sick she was it was too late. I would encourage families to push for answers as you know what is normal for your loved one. If you don't fight for your right to know what is going on you get told basically nothing. 

The lack of support in the community is also astounding and I wonder how people with families cope. 

I do have to make clear the staff in ward 6 were exemplary and they made my mum's last few days as comfortable as possible. The nurses were so kind to our family and we will always be grateful to them for their help. They really are angels on earth. 

I hope the NHS gets the help it needs soon, as I am sure we are not the only people mourning a loved one gone too soon.