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Nursing care great, medical care mixed, dignity...

Story from nhs.uk

"Nursing care great, medical care mixed, dignity..."

About: Northwick Park Hospital / Trauma and orthopaedics

I am writing this review on behalf of my aunt who stayed at Northwick Park on the Evelyn Orthopaedic Trauma ward for 4 weeks following a fall and a broken leg. The nursing care was generally excellent - the nurses were very caring and did all they could bearing in mind the staffing constraints they were under. The food was OK, but they don't explain all food options and sometimes you get what you are given (even if it is something you hate) rather than have a choice as you should. The medical team were poor - both in surgery (first operation was a failure and had to be redone) and in terms of communication with patient and family (in the end I got information by phoning a nearby private hospital whose sister spoke to the consultant and relayed back to me my aunt's treatment plan - how bonkers is that!!). But the biggest issue is that the NHS has a system, and as a patient you are in it and cannot influence it a jot - everything is defined by the NHS routine - from the time you get up, to how you go to the toilet, to whether and when you get taken out of bed to sit in a chair - nothing is your choice - it is like being in a prison. But the worst is when you are released ... I mean discharged - if you cannopt afford private care you will be dumped at home, left in bed to sit in your own waste until the next of the 4x 30 minute visits, with a 4 month wait for physiotherapy - utterly disgraceful.

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Responses

Response from London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust 5 years ago
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust

Submitted on 30/05/2019 at 11:19
Published on Care Opinion at 11:19

Dear Sir

Thank you for posting about your aunt's recent admission to Evelyn ward in Northwick Park Hospital. I am very grateful to you for letting us know where we did well and where we could improve in our care.

I will ensure that your feedback is shared with the senior staff for the ward so that your kind words about the nursing staff can be relayed to the team. Your concern about the communication from the medical team will also be shared as it is acknowledged that discussing treatment with a patient and/or their relatives is an important part of a patient's recovery.

It was disappointing to learn also that the food available was not always what was ordered, which we will relay to the catering department for the Trust.

I was sorry to learn of the concern you had about your aunt's admission and that you felt that she was treated in a routine manner. This is not how we would wish for patients to feel. I do note from your feedback that your aunt was in hospital due to a broken leg and the team looking after, including the therapists, would always therefore need to make sure that it was safe for your aunt to be mobile as and when she needed to be, whether this was as part of her recovery and rehabilitation or in order to sit out in a chair or use the loo for example. Therapists usually see patients at certain times of the day for their rehabilitation and the nursing team will also perform their comfort rounds throughout the day and I am sorry that this made your aunt feel as though she did not have a choice in her care.

Your concerns about your aunt's care following her discharge are also most regretful. The team should always ensure that the necessary reviews are made so that a care plan can be put in place ahead of a patient's discharge. Should you have any concerns about your aunt's care during her admission or following her discharge that you would like a more detailed response to, then please do contact our Patient Relations team at LNWH-tr.patientrelations@nhs.net.

Thank you once again for taking the time to let us know of your experience and I do hope that your aunt continues to recover well following her surgery.

Kind regards

Peter Hare

Patient Relations Manager

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