"My mums care after having a stroke"

My mum unfortunately had a stroke at the end of January 2025 and was taken to Craigavon Area Hospital. Her initial care there was exceptional.

Prior to leaving to be brought to Lurgan Hospital Stroke Unit, a doctor arrived with 3 students to see how mum was doing and asked her opinion on her care which she was happy with. The doctor then asked me if I had any views on mums care, to which I replied that it is good practice to speak with the patient and not to assume they cannot speak for themselves. I went on to say that had medical staff spoke with my mum they would know that she had no need for the laxative that had been given and ultimately taken away my mums dignity. Mum was absolutely mortified that she had messed herself.

Once in Lurgan mum was assessed as having swallow issues and put on a modified diet in accordance. The food my mum was expected to eat was absolutely grim, the smell alone was vile. It was rare that mum received what she had requested as again it felt like the patients were expected to put up and shut up.

Mum has a rare illness that causes her to drink large quantities of liquid and has been on medication for it for over 40 years. Nursing staff were told not to let mum have fluids after tea time as she then needed to be up during the night to use the bathroom and needed assistance - this came across like it was an inconvenience to staff. I ended up contacting the Endocrinology Department in Craigavon and asking them to contact the nursing staff in Lurgan to explain this was not dignified practice given her condition.  After contact was made mum was treated slightly better.

When nursing or health care staff took mum to the bathroom the toilet was never flushed after use - instead it was flushed before the next use. Absolutely disgusting practice in my opinion.

My mum is not and never has been incontinent - for some bizarre reason it was decreed that mum had to wear a big purple pad which she could not force herself to urinate in. On one occasion a senior staff member came to my mum and told her if she didn’t use it she would have to go into a home - at no time did any member of my mums family give this staff member permission to make that judgement - my mum was very distressed at this and in tears which was hard to see.

Whilst in Lurgan mum was in a lot of discomfort with what staff believed was a UTI - for the next week family members asked if the results were back and they never were. I phoned mums ward one morning for the results and was told the test was insufficient which they knew 4 days earlier, I asked if another sample was sent and was told no. On my request a further sample was sent for analysis and came back positive - this was lost time in mums recovery and a setback she could have done without.

Prior to mums discharge from  Lurgan to a rehabilitation centre there was a social care meeting hosted with a social worker - it was meant to begin at 2pm but it was almost 2.30pm before it started. It seemed the Social Worker was in a hurry to leave. There is a lot of information to take in at this meeting and I had recorded it on my phone. It was agreed that family members would discuss this over the weekend and I would contact the Social Worker on the Monday afternoon as I had meetings on the Monday morning in work. Instead of the social worker waiting as agreed she went to my mum and told her she was moving the next day - no discussions!

Mum was dispatched to the rehabilitation centre the following day and it transpired that they weren’t expecting her - the paperwork sent with the ambulance crew wasn’t even complete! 

Thankfully Crozier House are amazing and it is evident that all the carers/staff really care about their patients. Mum came on leaps and bounds with their care and felt loved and cared for - she was in tears leaving to go home.

Unfortunately, yet again, the social worker forms were incomplete and the SALT forms handed over to the home care provider were the ones from mums handover from Lurgan 3 weeks previous and things had changed. Arrangements had not been made to have mums medication given by the carers.

Before mum left to go home we were told a shower assessment would be completed within a few days of mum being home - this is supposed to be happening tomorrow, over 4 weeks after mum returned home. I believe there is a breach of care as mum has not been showered sin leaving Crozier House 4 weeks ago and her dignity has not been maintained.