"Eternally grateful for everyone caring for Dad"

A few weeks ago my dad had a fall and broke his hip. Even though he had Parkinson's and Dementia we were told it would be a 3 hour wait for an ambulance as he was conscious, breathing and not bleeding. Dad was in a lot of pain and we made the difficult decision to get him to hospital ourselves. We got him into the car and drove carefully to QEUH where we struggled to get him back out the car. My mum went to ask if any paramedics sitting in ambulances could please help and a male paramedic passing asked if we were ok, my brother explained and he went away and came back with gas & air at the same time 2 more paramedics arrived. They were incredible. They got Dad out with a board and gas & air and got him into a wheelchair. We thanked them profusely but they really were outstanding individuals.

By the time I had parked the car Dad was in Triage, the nurse went to get him a bed and bay as just by looking at him you could see his hip was broken. After x-ray confirmation a male junior doctor, advised and carried out a local anaesthetic procedure which made Dad much more comfortable. The orthopaedic surgeon, and another Dr (I think also orthopaedics) came to go through next steps and get consent for surgery which at that point Dad was able to understand and consent to himself. He was lucid, chatting and laughing. He was also able to say no to the subject of DNR because at that point he was ok and able to make that decision.

We were told it was likely the operation would take place on in a couple days as Dad was on blood thinners they wanted to wait until 48hrs clear of last dose. Dad was settled up into ward 10D with the fantastic staff there. He was taken to surgery on the Thursday instead of the Friday, which we were not made aware of until the anaesthetist phoned the house phone to ask my mum some questions about Dad and the Parkinson's. I was there and we were both able to chat with Dad briefly before he had the operation. This was the last time we were able to speak to my Dad. At that point mum and I were both under the impression dad was getting Spinal Block not GA. He ended up having GA and never really came round. He was nearly 3 hours in recovery and we all got a shock when we seen him. We asked to speak to a nurse to ask why he had GA, why he was the way he was and they said they did not know and that we had to ask the anaesthetist. He was snoring his head off which we took as a good sign, but he was hardly able to open his eyes let alone speak.

We saw a Dr the next day, and she was talking through potentially getting Dad to Gartnavel for rehab but first trying to get physio to get Dad up. We knew ourselves this probably was not going to happen but the physios asked us all about Dad, his mobility, his limitations and how the Parkinson's affected him. They were really great but obviously it was out of the question to get him up. She also said we need to ask the anaesthetist why Dad had GA and not spinal block.

Due to choking Dad was made nil by mouth, and it was indicated that he was developing pneumonia by the following day. His temperature was spiking the following day but came down with paracetamol. By the next week, dad's temperature did not come down at all. The nurses were all concerned about dad and checked on him frequently, checking his obs, changing his antibiotics and making sure he was comfortable. They were outstanding. They had a very busy ward but the kindness, compassion and care they showed was unbelievable. All the nurses, doctors and auxiliaries were great. Truly great human beings. They didn't rush us out in the evenings which meant my siblings and I could be with Dad as long as possible. Thankfully, two of my siblings were with Dad when he took his last breath. 

While we are eternally grateful for everyone caring for Dad and all they did for Dad and us, we would like Dad's medical records and would like an answer to our question: Why did Dad get a general anaesthetic instead of a spinal block which is much safer for someone with Parkinson's disease?