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Father's situation

Posted By LKB

"Father's situation"

About: Ayrshire Central Hospital / Stroke and Rehab

(as a relative),

My father has been an inpatient in this unit for some time after a haemorrhagic stroke affecting his LHS . He has very limited mobility.

He is virtually bedbound and is only able to sit in an adapted wheelchair for short periods of time, due to pain in his hip . He relies on the staff to do most care for him and needs hoists to move from bed to chair etc 

There is no tv in his 6 beded ward . The only tv is in the day room . However due to pain my dad is only comfortable being in bed watching tv.  Luckily I sourced a small portable tv and managed to set it up next to his bed ( as there’s an ariel socket . )

TV has kept my dad ‘sane’ over the last 4 + weeks  as he only leaves his bed for physio sessions, showers and very little else . 

Yesterday, someone must have pulled the ariel out of his tv . So last night  and this morning he had no tv to distract him . 

He called me and asked for advice . I said he should ask a member of the staff to assist him . 

I’d imagine that nursing / auxiliary staff are employed not just to look after patients physical well-being but also their mental wellbeing too?

Anyway he asked someone and their reply was that it wasn't their job.

It amazes me that a member of staff could not find it in themselves to show some compassion and plug in an aerial for a compromised patient . I sincerely hope that if this person is ever in my fathers unfortunate ( and heartbreaking!) position that whoever is caring for them shows a bit of human kindness.

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Responses

Response from Eunice Goodwin, Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team, NHS Ayrshire and Arran 5 years ago
Eunice Goodwin
Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team,
NHS Ayrshire and Arran

I respond initially to most of the posts and ensure they are passed to the appropriate team whether they are compliments, observations or grumbles. It is important to make sure all issues are addressed and I try to encourage that to happen for all the posts as required.

Submitted on 27/08/2018 at 13:22
Published on Care Opinion at 13:27

picture of Eunice Goodwin

Dear LKB,

Thank you for sharing this story on Care Opinion. It is difficult to watch on while our loved ones are unwell. It is scary when we can’t just wave a wand and make them better. We just want the best for them and quite rightly so.

We whole heartedly agree that it is important that we care for our patients holistically, taking account of their mind, body and spirit. It is also important to care for the families too.

We very much welcome anonymous feedback via Care Opinion and we endeavour to address the issues raised on this forum, so I had a chat with the charge nurse (Lynn) about this. From your story, Lynn managed to have a chat with your dad in order to address the issue and we now have additional clarity about the situation. The aerial was dislodged inadvertently while your dad was receiving personal care but he did not request a member of staff to reinsert the aerial as he felt it was not the role of the staff to do so. The aerial has been reinserted and Lynn has brought this to the attention of the team so that they can assist if this situation arises again. We have reassured your dad that we are happy to help in this way. Like you, we would have been disappointed if this had been refused. We aim to be as flexible as possible during our patients’ stay to help their recovery.

I hope this is reassuring for you. Lynn would welcome a chat at any time should you have any future concerns about any aspect of your father’s care and recovery.

We both wish you and your dad all the best,

Eunice (and Lynn)

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Update posted by LKB (a relative)

Yes , it is reassuring to know that in the future my dad will not feel unable to ask for assistance in matters that may seem minor to some but are important to him .

However , my dad DID ask someone to help fix the ariel and the response was ‘it’s not my job’ My dad agreed that it wasn’t their job and wasn’t going to make an issue of it .

I do know that a different member of staff assisted him eventually ( I do know her name )

However the fact remains that ‘someone ‘did say this to my father .

Response from Eunice Goodwin, Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team, NHS Ayrshire and Arran 5 years ago
Eunice Goodwin
Patient Feedback Manager for NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Quality Improvement and Governance Team,
NHS Ayrshire and Arran

I respond initially to most of the posts and ensure they are passed to the appropriate team whether they are compliments, observations or grumbles. It is important to make sure all issues are addressed and I try to encourage that to happen for all the posts as required.

Submitted on 27/08/2018 at 16:20
Published on Care Opinion at 16:28

picture of Eunice Goodwin

Dear LKB,

Thank you for your update. As a result of this post, I am sure that all staff are now aware of the express feelings of the charge nurse regarding this and it will not be an issue again,

best wishes,

Eunice

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