The surgery and treatment on the ward was excellent, it all fell apart when it came to my discharge. On the ward the physiotherapist issued me with two Zimmer frames to allow me to cope at home but the patient ambulance service refused to transport me with the two Zimmer frames despite there being only myself and another patient in the ambulance. The ambulance personnel insisted a patient can only have one piece of equipment and a bag. What if all the patients carried more?
This caused me significant distress as I could not use my wife's stairlift to access the toilet as neither my wife, who has a profound disability, or I could manage the Zimmer frame up to the toilet, which meant I was reduced to using a basin in the kitchen. Eventually the second Zimmer arrived in a taxi. Is this saving the NHS money?
Due to stairs at my house my transfers to the hospital clinics were arranged using the patient transfer ambulance where the journey to the hospital was excellent but the journey home turned into a disaster when my clinic appointment finished late afternoon when the ambulance staff have a change of shift. This meant transport home for myself and the two other patients could be anytime from 18. 00 - 20. 00 hours and we would have no access to a tearoom or bathroom as the coordinator for the service finished early evening and we would be left in limbo with no person available to push our wheelchairs.
When I went to the fracture clinic F in the same hospital is was most frustrating that I could not gain access with out waiting for a passing individual to open the corridor and self-closing fire doors, surely a clinic which has patients likely to attend with crutches etc should have automatic doors? Also, how can you use a pedal bin with crutches? The access into the hospital and the atrium was very easy due to these areas having automatic doors.
"Discharge following recent foot surgery in New Victoria"
About: Scottish Ambulance Service / Patient Transport Service Scottish Ambulance Service Patient Transport Service EH12 9EB Victoria Infirmary / Trauma & orthopaedics Victoria Infirmary Trauma & orthopaedics G42 9TY
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