"Poor experience of ED"

My mother was admitted urgently to ED on Friday on advice from her Gp. She was triaged fairly quickly and transferred to a cubicle in the main department within a few hours before being transferred to a side room in the red area.

When reviewed by the Dr in ED we asked why she had been given an IV antibiotic  as she had been given the same antibiotic orally the previous week by her Gp which had not resolved her chest infection. We had to ask the Dr to check if her sputum results had come back.

When the doctor checked we could see this antibiotic was resistant to her infection. She is in her 70's. She was advised she would have to spend a few days in hospital and would be transferred to a medical ward when a bed became available.

She remained here until just after 7pm on the Monday before being transferred to a medical ward. We asked for a pillow for her on the Friday but were told they had no pillows so we ended up bringing our own in from home plus a blanket as she was feeling cold. We also had to bring her fresh water each day as none was supplied either.

She asked for a basin on Sunday morning to wash herself and never received it. My mother was left with extensive bruising on her inner arm when someone tried to insert a venflon but was unsuccessful. This member of staff told her she couldn’t concentrate because she hadn’t got her break and was hungry.

This does little to instil confidence in patients or relatives. On another occasion the domestic assistant said teas were late as her colleagues had just left them in the trolley and she had to give them all out. This again does not instil confidence or do anything for the reputation of the Trust.

My mother was told she would get a blood transfusion on Sunday evening around 6pm. This was not given to 3am on Monday morning before which she was given a diuretic meaning she was up and down to the toilet through the night severely disrupting her sleep.

On my visits to her over the course of her admissions I overheard nurses with work stations for encompass discussing personal health information with patients waiting in the corridors. How is this acceptable in terms of respecting patients privacy and dignity and ensuring the confidentiality of patient information?