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"3 falls in one week whilst in hospital"

About: University Hospital Wishaw / Emergency Department University Hospital Wishaw / Medical Diabetes and Endocrinology (Ward 6)

(as a service user),

We wish to highlight the care that my Grandad/Dad received in A&E. He had 3 falls , one in A&E, and two in Ward 6 , the last one resulting in a fractured hip and small bleed on brain which was not there after his first CT scan.

What we want to know is

1. Did the 3 Datix go in to the appropriate level to ensure the best of Care?

2. Why did these three falls happened within a week of my Grandad/Dad being in Wishaw General with delirium and infection?

3. What access do we have to Physio/ Occupational Health, since he seems to be a fall risk within Wishaw General but was no risk at home?

4. Why was my Grandad/Dad not given water, tea, or any fluid at his bedside and I had to source a staff room myself to get him his basic fluids that he should have been given ?

We understand that wards are busy and he cannot be cared for 24/7 but we never ever expected three falls in one week that has resulted in a glued head and bad bruising in A&E , a second fall not resulting in another CT scan, then a third fall with a fractured hip.

If you can assist us in anyway with any answers to our above questions we would be grateful of your response .

Since writing the above, my dad has had another 2 falls , thankfully with no harm done.

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Responses

Response from Julie Coyle, Senior Nurse - Emergency Care, University Hospital Wishaw, NHS Lanarkshire 3 weeks ago
Julie Coyle
Senior Nurse - Emergency Care, University Hospital Wishaw,
NHS Lanarkshire
Submitted on 05/11/2025 at 10:34
Published on Care Opinion at 10:34


Dear Serpensmq56,

Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your recent experience within The Emergency Department and Ward 6. I am sorry to learn that your grandad/ dad has experienced a number of falls with harm.

To allow us to investigate this thoroughly, could I please ask you to get in touch with our patient affairs department who will support you through this investigation process. You can reach them at patientaffairs@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk

Best wishes,

Julie.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful

Update posted by serpensmq56 (a service user)

I am already in touch with patient services in regard to this matter, let me just say as a daughter and as an nhs worker I expect the highest of care for our elderly people within our service, we must not and should not allow this to happen at any given time, Datix are in situ for important reasons of stopping this happening again, Six datix must be in now, it has failed in my dads care 6 times now, he should not have been in a position to fall after his first fall it saddens me greatly.

Our NHS is an institution that we are all proud of, let us not fail our elderly with delirium and infection, they deserve the best of care.

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