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The care currently available does not provide dignity

Posted By Bluegiraff

"The care currently available does not provide dignity"

About: Altnagelvin Area Hospital / Emergency department

(as a relative),

My sister went into A&E experiencing alcohol withdrawals. She had experienced a seizure and bit down hard on her tongue leading to bruising. She was experiencing hallucinations and behaving unlike herself. We appreciate all the hard work and care provided by the staff in A&E however are shocked by the lack of appropriate care available to those in need of a bed in the hospital wards.

The result for my sister has been a loss of dignity, an inability to shower/ wash for days, her behaviour has been observed by patients and staff who should not have seen it. She has had police called to check on her regarding her safety and the safety of others. She has been in a cubicle with very little privacy and no windows or comfort. It just seems like the A&E are being bombarded with patients they cannot handle- it’s unfair on staff and patients alike.  I know this a wider systemic problem but stories like this need to be shared for people to be aware of.

I would hate to be in my sisters position- she has an illness and underneath all of her challenging behaviour is a real person, a loving caring, funny, beautiful woman, the care provided whilst being the best currently available does not provide any dignity to her. I hope our services are given funding soon and are hospitals can make changes. How long can this go on??? 

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Responses

Response from Karima Gray, Band 7 Senior Sister Emergency Department Altnagelvin Hospital, Acute Services Altnagelvin, WHSCT 3 months ago
Karima Gray
Band 7 Senior Sister Emergency Department Altnagelvin Hospital, Acute Services Altnagelvin,
WHSCT

Submitted on 30/01/2024 at 17:13
Published on Care Opinion on 31/01/2024 at 09:53

Dear Bluegiraff

Thank you for sharing your story. We value and appreciate all feedback on our service. I am sorry to hear of your recent poor experience within the A&E department where your wait was long and you felt the service lacked empathy.

Whilst I do not have access to your specific case, I would like to respond to your feedback as best I can going on the information you have kindly fed back.

We have been experiencing many ongoing challenges for some time now within our service and staff do try their best to provide a high quality of care to all patients coming in. Unfortunately due to the extremely high demand on our service that is out of our control, waiting times for bed allocation both in the department, and on the wards can be long and we do appreciate your patience on this.

We do understand your frustration and we apologize that we currently do not have the facilitates available to patients to allow them to have a shower, which is a very basic necessity. The infrastructure of our current department does not meet the needs that we require at present. This is an issue which we raise on a daily basis to the hospital management team. We apologize greatly for the negative impact this is having on your sisters health, and on you as a family.

Stories on care opinion are anonymous and can be difficult to provide a detailed response to feedback. I would appreciate an opportunity to explain further at your request, therefore feel free to contact me on 02871 345171 EXT. 213654.

Again, I would like to thank you for your time and we value your feedback.

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