"My father"

My father was admitted to Bibury ward in December 2020. He was transferred there via A&E at Gloucester Royal Hospital where he was rushed in by Ambulance the day before. 

He is 88 years old and was diagnosed with sepsis and a water infection which was subsequently being treated successfully with antibiotics.

I, his son, called Bibury ward weeks later, as I had done daily to check on his progress and to speak with my father.

I was shocked to hear that he had been transferred back to Gloucester hospital the previous night. The family was not informed. They have my mobile number and my brothers mobile number on file.

When asked why he had been transferred, I was told he had tested positive for COVID 19 and needed to be on a COVID ward - not a ‘green’ ward. 

When questioned as to how he had contracted COVID-19, I was, again shocked to hear from a nurse that he probably already had it when he was first admitted to hospital. 18 DAYS AGO!!?. The nurse told me they routinely test for COVID every 3 - 5 days. Father had been tested between three and five times with a negative test result while on the ward and it wasn’t until the last test he tested positive. 

A nurse told me that no one else on the ward had tested positive for COVID so he must have been admitted with it - shocking and totally unacceptable.

I had been receiving text messages on my mobile throughout the day stating my fathers name and date of birth saying that as I had a positive COVID-19 test, to stay at home and to register with track and trace. I thought this was a ‘scam’ of some sort and ignored all four texts. I had a call that evening from track and trace asking for the details of who I had been in contact with. When I explained it was my father who was in hospital and had been for the last 18 days, they were able to update their records. I asked them why I had been receiving texts and the  call. They said the hospital would have “cleverly” entered my mobile details knowingly so that track and trace would not contact the ward for details!!

When I tracked down my father and was able to speak to a staff member on the ward, they confirmed as my father had been in hospital for 18 days he would have contracted COVID-19 while in hospital.

In summary - father was transferred to another hospital with a killer disease and the family was not informed.

A nurse either had no idea about how Covid-19 is transmitted - or was not being honest.

The ward discharged my father, knowingly giving false information to track and trace.