"Communication difficulties"

Communications difficulties include ambulance trips, recordings of meds and fluids, and staff not following through on promises.

Ambulances - On one occasion we were advised by the consultant to be ready by 1030 in the morning in readiness for Opthamology Dept. appointment at 11.45. On the day, we watched the dial of the clock go around with increasing agitation. I spoke to a nurse who assured me that we had not been forgotten. 

Ambulance crew arrived at 11.32. While transferring to their stretcher, they confessed that they had been to the ward previously to collect a patient who had already made private transport arrangements but they had not been aware at that time that we were to be collected at the same time and hence the delay. What annoyed me was the crew’s blase attitude, laughing as though this sort of confusion was a regular thing. It feels to me is as if there is an inertia, a culture of acceptance that standards will inevitably be poor. This is not helpful to the wellbeing of either the patient, or myself as his carer. In the wait, he was all for setting off to the appointment in a wheelchair!

Thankfully the staff at Opthamology accepted our late arrival and gave him the best optical assessment they could under the circumstances.

Records - My husband does not drink as much as he used to and this concerns me, especially as the lead Haematologist was very adamant that he should drink good quantities to deal with his meds. This was back when he was first diagnosed with Essential Thrombocythemia. In the first week I was reassured that blood tests would reveal if he was dehydrated or not. It turned out ‘not’ but recently the blood test frequency has reduced and now it must be several days since his last one.

Meanwhile on his fluid balance chart it states that during the night my husband took 100ml of a 200ml drink. I was with him all night and he certainly didn’t have anything to drink at that time as he was sound asleep. I bring him drinks from the canteen and make him fruit squashes but nobody asks how much of these he has taken. Apart from when I leave notes, I haven't seen anybody record his urine output. 

Medications - Sometimes my husband will refuse some meds. These we leave in the meds pot and I explain to the next nurse that these are rejects. But, from what  have seen the staff always bin these rejects without any apparent recording of what was actually taken and what was not. This did change this morning when a new (to us) nurse left a paper note. The computer system seems to assume that meds dispensed equals meds taken.

The Physio staff have been very kind and helpful but they did promise an exercise sheet last week. This was so that I could help my husband keep more movement but the sheet has not been forthcoming. Can we please have what was promised?