"Lack of care and communication"

My father, who is in his mid 80's, fell and broke his collar bone in December 2022. After 5 weeks in hospital he moved to a care home. He then fell and broke his hip two weeks later. Ambulance took us to Wishaw A&E and gold stars to ambulance and A&E staff -  a much better A&E experience than what I have experienced previously in another hospital.

However, Ward 15 is where it all went wrong. After over 10 hours in A&E  he moved to ward 15. Surgery suggested for the Sunday was cancelled but went ahead the next day. My father also has vascular dementia and a range of other health issues. On the Wednesday evening as i was leaving, i was informed in a most unprofessional manner that he was being discharged to the care home the next day. A physio had deemed him fit for discharge!  At this time he was so delerious, he didn't know where he was. Had no clue he'd broken his hip and had surgery and was in hospital.

Despite my complete shock and argument that he wasn't fit for discharge, it went ahead 3 days after surgery and with almost no rehab. My understanding is that his rehab at this point consisted of on Wednesday being helped out of bed, onto his feet, sat in a bedside chair and returned to bed. I doubt the physios in question even considered his dementia or frailty. 

From arrival on ward 15 to discharge, not one doctor or physio spoke to me as his next of kin or power of attorney.  Anything said to him would not have been retained. He arrived back in care home the following day.  Three weeks later and he has not been out of that bed since. Care home staff don't want to mobilise him until physios from Lanarkshire rehab team have seen him. Rehab team say he is high priority but over 3 weeks later he still hasn't been seen by a physio. I've rang them 4 times, my last call on 23rd Feb remains unanswered. I have a complaint working with the hospital which i know will be pointless. My reason for this review now rather than after the complaint has been resolved is that i just don't know what to do next to get him the help he needs.  Rehab team say he is high priority but i am struggling to imagine a worse situation. How long does it take for high priority patients to be seen by a physio?

Here is the reality of what the callous treatment by Ward 15 created:

1. On arrival back at care home from hospital, he was raging with delerium, really agitated.

2. Despite being high priority  the local rehab team are clearly under pressure and don't have the resource to help him.

3. He has regular painful leg cramps from lying in bed all day.

4. He has 2 pressure sores on his heels. 1 of which was developed whilst in Ward 15.

5. He has to pass urine and bowel movements in his underwear, whilst in bed, then wait for care staf to notice and clean him. He finds this really difficult to deal with and it is degrading. 

6. His skin is at risk from urine.

7. His voice is becoming weaker so i can hardly hear what he is saying.

8. He is weaker every day. 

9. He doesn't understand why he can't physically go to the bathroom. 

10. He hasn't been showered for several weeks.

11. He needs a haircut and his toenails cut but he can't be mobilised for either to happen.

12. He is stuck in bed all day with only the tv for stimulation, so dementia symptoms will inevitably get worse. He cannot participate in any care home activities that take place outside of his room.

13.The likelihood of him walking again reduces with evey day he is left lying in bed.

I fear that he will not live much longer and that his death will be not down  to a broken hip but to neglect in his care.
 

We know NHS is under pressure but it's no excuse for sub standard care. My father's story is just one of many similar but unnecessary examples of poor care.

It's no way to treat frail, eldery people. I have been made to feel like a nuisance caller from just trying to get him the support he needs. What am I supposed to do? Just stand back and watch him waste away?

Ward 15 staff could learn a lot in how to communicate with both patients and relatives. More importantly, they need to see the person and understand that there are often other health issues to factor in above what they are presenting with at that point in time. Where the elderly are concerned, close relatives must be consulted, not ignored, as in my case.

So, just how do I get him the rehab support that he needs?