"We worry whether our dad will actually make it…"

My dad was admitted to this hospital some weeks ago.

They constantly forget/ignore that due to his stroke, he is non-verbal. The other day dad was trying to take off his top which he needed some help.

Dad was quite clearly looking over and trying to gesture to two HCAs who were both sat down by the computer (not on it), one on their phone and the other just plainly ignoring him. Being that he can't verbalise and he was staring over at them, I think it was pretty obvious he wanted help. But what's a patient when you have an exciting Facebook post to reply to?

This also ties in with another repeated 'go-to' for this place in that they are 'short staffed.' Why are staff even allowed their own mobiles when on duty? This is surely another risk to patient safety.

Avoidance is also another behaviour demonstrated in bucketloads here. Trying to find a doctor or nurse with knowledge of my dad's case and next steps to get him out of this farcical setting is like looking for the Holy Grail. And if you do find one, then it appears that a positive plan is skirted around. He is no better off than he was when he first came in here. In fact, he is probably worse.

Apparently he is supposed to have physio but no, he doesn't really. Unless you count, as the staff seem to do, not much more than a trip to the toilet and two or three leg-raises as 'physio'. My dad seems to be left to waste away here.

My dad now has covid. yes, everyone's old friend covid has returned to the ward/hospital which isn't surprising. However, this has afforded my dad his own side room. Unfortunately, he is rarely attended to and as already shown above, incidents such as his hypotension/low blood pressure and feeling unwell can go unnoticed and even if noticed, are simply ignored or not treated in a timely manner.

I appreciate that the NHS and hospitals are underfunded/understaffed but when you witness occurrences and see little progress on any level of a loved one, as my family and I have done here at St Cross then it does little to align me and empathise with these grievances.

We worry whether our dad will actually make it out of here alive.