"My mother's experience following a heart attack"

My mother suffered a major heart attack a few weeks ago. She is 91 years old and is the carer for my father who is 93 in March this year.

The initial response for my mother could not be faulted. Within 5 minutes of a 999 call a first responder was in the house working on my Mum, followed closely by paramedics in an ambulance, then by a cardiac specialist ambulance.

My Mum was taken to Hairmyres Hospital where she received prompt and exemplary care, without which I am sure my Mum would no longer be with us. A stent was put into a blocked artery & her condition stabilized before moving her to her "local" hospital Queen Elizabeth University hospital the following day.

Yet again the staff and the care provide could not have been better. All the rooms are single occupancy but staff ensured that my Mum had plenty of staff interaction. Family visiting was limited as I had come through from Fife to look after my Dad who would not be able to cope on his own. His mobility is extremely poor & mentally he is failing. Our visits had to be limited to one a day as this was as much as my Dad was able to cope with. Access to the hospital in these circumstances wasn't great. On the first day not knowing where to park ( drop off zone filled with parked cars) & needing to be a near to the main door as possible I parked in Car park 1, left my dad in the car & walked up to the main entrance looking for a wheelchair. There weren't any to be seen.

I then went to the Reception desk, explained my predicament and the member of staff couldn't have been more helpful. She organised the electric buggy to pick my Dad up. The driver was so kind & also organised a wheelchair for us. This service stops at 4.30 although visiting is until 8. 30? Thereafter I parked in Car Park 2. This was physically demanding for me, and always meant that I had to leave my Dad on his own while I found a wheelchair. They were usually some distance away. I am quite a fit 65 year old but by the time we got to Mum's room I was exhausted.

The major change for my Mum came when she was moved to Ward 6d on Saturday evening. On the Sunday when we visited in the afternoon my Mum was noticeably low, felt she was isolated, was cold & had only had one warm drink since waking up that morning. A staff member had commented when she had visited on one occasion to take her blood pressure that Mum was cold. Mum had said she felt very cold. She was told it was a cold day & then left her on her own. Meals seemed to consist of sandwiches & baked potatoes. The problem here, when I was party to how the system worked, was that a member of the catering staff came in holding a tablet & verbally informed my Mum what was on offer. She was then asked to make her choice in a very short space of time. My Mum's hearing & retention of information can be problematic. In this case it would have been better for her to have a written printout with meal choices so she was fully aware of the choice & had time to make up her mind.

My Mum did not feel happy in this ward & it was only with a change of staff that the general situation improved in terms of staff interaction, regular hot drinks etc. By this time though my Mum was desperate to get home & was becoming increasingly anxious.

As a result I feel she left the hospital before she medically should have & with no care package despite being the main carer for my Dad.