"Communication and follow up"

My mum was admitted with acute onset of confusion and brought in by ambulance to FVRH. She was subsequently treated for a UTI and discharged the following day.

Due to Covid restrictions I was unable to accompany my mum to hospital therefore relied on staff keeping me updated. She was admitted in the evening and I called a few hours later and was updated over the telephone, being told that she was being kept in overnight and that they had started oral antibiotics. I was reassured that she was fairly settled and didn’t appear to be confused. The following morning I contacted the department for an update  and managed to speak to the frailty nurse. As my mum had improved and was on the correct treatment it was agreed that she could be discharged later that day after being seen by physios. I was informed that I would be contacted as to when to collect her. This was early afternoon. A few hours later I called the ward for an update to be told she was in the ward discharge area but that they would check she was good to go and they would call me back. I ended up calling again 1.5 hours later to be told to come and collect my mother. 

On collecting my mum I realised she had indeed been waiting approx 3 hours for me to collect her but no contact had been made to organise this. I asked if there was anything else I needed to know and was told that the nurse looking after my mum had just met her and hadn’t been given a handover.  I didn’t receive a discharge letter so left with the knowledge that the antibiotics were the only treatment needed. She was discharged home that night with the Hospital at Home team following up her care. 

The Hospital at home team visited  my mum the following day and I was asked by the doctor if we had received the prescription of magnesium and folic acid tablets that were being taxied out.  This was the first  I had been told that my mum’s magnesium Levels were low. I was given a prescription which I went and collected. The medicines that were meant to be getting taxied out never appeared.   My mum’s care was covered by hospital at home service over the weekend with them visiting daily the first 3 days.