"Told I had to wear a mask, even if I'm exempt"

Today after my Dad being an inpatient in emergency care ward since last week, he called to ask for fruit and said he was now in a ward. Having previously been allowed to pop in and out and not had one problem with any of the staff, I started walking down a corridor with my 2 small granddaughters and ofcourse the most important question is to insist I wear a mask. I said that I'm exempt, and they commented that in the hospital I was not. That I still have to wear a mask ... then they swiftly moved on to did I make an appointment. Another staff member then said I could go in, but be mindful of the kids as someone might have COVID. Not sure what significance that was but anyway I said ok, but by this time was as I have been in the past with this hospital and some of its staff - so stressed that I stayed all of 5 mins.

I had an ear piece in and was telling my brother that it's a joke with all these different rules and regulations in every ward when I thought I heard someone very rudely saying that is I had phoned down I would have known to make an appointment in a very blunt manner, so I backtracked and said pardon...to which they turned round and said it again.

My Dad demanded out of this hospital before Xmas because of this same attitude to visitors and getting persecuted for not having a mask when exempt. I'm now so stressed out again I dont want to visit my Dad. I have Addisons disease and I'm already stressed because of my Dad's health ... surely after being in hospital 5 days and not knowing anything about my Dad's condition, the most important role of staff is not to speak to patients visitors like they have commited a crime. And what's made this situation even more stressful is that despite me having to complain about similar bad experiences, it seems nothing has changed. The staff were all just sitting at the station, not busy, not running about, but just plain and simply being ride to visitors with a real lack of people skills, other than one nurse.

Has something happened that staff now don't seem to care about being polite to patients and visitors? It feels like they make things as horrible as possible. I'm now going to enquire about home hospital for my Dad because I simply don't want to have to go through this again, it's like visiting a prison, there's enough suffering in the place without causing more.

Hospital policy does not say people who are exempt have to wear a mask. I've been made to feel upset and stressed for taking fruit to my Dad.