My father, in his seventies, had been transferred to GRI, from a local District General Hospital, following a large GI bleed, in February, 2023.
After spending 9 hours in his local A+E, he arrived at GRI A+E, to spend another 5 hours on a trolley in a corridor, whilst awaiting a bed in ward 50/51.
Luckily, his admission was uneventful, and at around midday, following his endoscopy he was informed he could go home.
Whilst I am completely aware of the delays in his care we’re due to local services being unavailable, I was so disappointed with the approach of his discharging nurse, and that the ward was mixed sex.
He he’d lost a fair volume of blood, and was feeling particularly weak. On asking the nurse how he would get home, the reply was not only unprofessional, but uncaring and hurtful.
My father is a proud man. He was merely enquiring how he would manage to get home, in the hope of the nurse explaining which options were available. However, the response was neither helpful or thoughtful. With the way he felt, he was shocked when advised to use his legs.
He was 25 miles from home, had never been a patient in GRI, and had no local knowledge of transportation options.
Eventually, after my father explaining his predicament, the ward manager eventually organised for him to get home.
As a nurse myself, I’m so deflated with the approach of the discharge nurse, and the fact that elderly patients are being treated in mixed sex wards. He felt extremely awkward being in mixed sex ward, especially at his age.
I use this forum in the hope it is addressed, so that other patients don’t have to experience it. As for mixed sex wards, it should not happen.
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