"Lack of attention to basics"

Having been admitted to North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary, I was informed I would be unable to have drugs as prescribed by the Consultant at the UHNS as they told me that they could not get the Drug.

What did astound me was that on more than one occasion I do not think I was given prescribed Drugs as those they had on the Drugs trolley were out of date. I believe they had used my in date drugs that were brought in for me on previous patients only to find by the time they got to me they were left with out of date drugs.

My family and I were given three different diagnostics for what had occurred for me to end me up on an acute ward.

The discharge letter for the intermediate care team in my opinion was not correctly executed; so the intermediate care nurses could only take my blood; but could not administer the injections I required and as prescribed by the Clinicians on the previous ward. I have only one hand therefore trying to inject one’s self is not an easy task.

Also on discharge they gave me drugs to bring home that they dispensed to me on the in February 2010; albeit the drugs clearly stated they were out of date in January 2010.

On an acute ward I would have expected accuracy, and within a large Hospital to be able to supply prescribed Drugs moreover ensure drugs they did have were in date moreover on drugs given on discharge that they would be in date also.

I would have thought that their clinicians were able to write a discharge letter ensuring that the paperwork for discharge was correct and that the correct instructions given to the intermediate care team more so when it’s a critically important drug.