"Delayed Discharge following Routine Minor Surgery"

I was operated on for a minor procedure . I was aware I would be kept in overnight as I had no one at home to help me immediately after my operation.

The care I received on ward 12C was superb immediately afterwards the receiving day staff were kind, friendly, respectful of my dignity, efficient. The night staff were even better friendly, efficient very caring and highly professional.

The following morning I was handed back over to a new day team on the ward. I was expecting to be discharged and on my way home sometime after breakfast. Other patients who had come up onto the ward after me the day before having had more serious operations were seen by the doctors and told whether they would be able to go home. No drs came to me and no one gave me any idea when I could leave .

I waited patiently from when I was woken at 5am to about 11am before I queried what was likely to be happening and when I could be discharged . I was told by the Dr I approached at the nurses station that they were busy with 5 other patients, one of which was confused  and that I would need to wait, which I did.

I made my way back to my bed space and waited . Other patients on the ward were discharged. I waited, lunchtime came and went, and another patient was released. They had come to the ward a lot later than myself and had had a far more invasive procedure than I. I was fit and ok to be released and had been since early morning, no one explained why I was having to wait. This was becoming increasingly frustrating.

As the other patient was being released, they were told they could go home but would need to return for anticoagulant medication and I overheard that that was why we had both been kept waiting. This was my first indication as to where the delay was coming from . At no point had this been communicated to me directly. I continued to wait.

At about 3:15pm the Dr I had spoken to by the nurses station in the morning came onto the ward and said - oh, are you still here?  I will call the pharmacy and chase them for you prescription/ medication .  The drugs arrived at about 4pm to the ward and once I had received exit instructions from the nursing staff as to how to take the meds I was finally allowed to organise my lift home.

My complaint is that I was kept waiting an exceptionally long time from being woken at 5am to being released at 4:15pm . I was not given any idea of when I was likely to be allowed home. And what was causing the delay .  This meant that I had to keep the person giving me a lift home on hold all day long. I was also using a bed space that could have been better used by someone that was actually needing it for about 9.5 hrs longer than needed all because the pharmacy did not get the meds to the ward in a timely manner.

Whilst I appreciate the team on the ward were busy, and can’t always process discharge paperwork because of real time incidents and I also appreciate the pharmacy isn’t just dealing with one ward and does not want to be up and down to ward 12c every 5 minutes,  only one delivery of drugs late afternoon means people are blocking beds  that others could occupy. It also means that patients transport options are waiting all day.

It is not for me to tell you how to run your hospital, but it would appear that pharmacy policy or manning  is causing bottlenecks on wards . When I spoke to staff on ward 12C about the situation they told me it happens often and has always been like it . Well I feel that is not a reason to accept the situation. Clearly not investing in pharmacy personnel enabling more frequent medication deliveries to wards is a false economy.  

My suggestion for improving things would be for staff to communicate what issues are to patients to manage their expectations if the situation with timely pharmacy delivery can’t be changed due to budget restrictions but to look at additional funding for increase manning  in pharmacy or delivery services within the hospital .

I am a retired medical professional and I was trained to make change if things were not working, just accepting  this is how things are is not a way to drive improvement for patients or staff.  I will say that the treatment  and care I received overall was superb  it was just a shame that the end process let down the rest of my treatment  and care . I look forward to your response .