"Not kept informed"

My father was an inpatient in Whiteabbey Hospital for rehabilitation following a stroke. He become unwell and had to be transferred back to Antrim Area Hospital for IV antibiotics. He was transferred over very late at night to ED. The following morning Whiteabbey contacted my mother to inform her of his transfer and that someone there would be in touch with her. No contact was ever made. Despite numerous attempts to make contact with the department we failed to get through. In the end, at 5pm, I drove my mother to ED in order to find out any information about his condition.  Thankfully he was recovering well. My father had been very unwell the previous afternoon when my mother has visited him so we were both anxious about him. He was in ED 19 hours and no one contacted NOK to provide an update. He has dysphasia as a result of his stroke so was unable to let us know himself.

As a health professional myself and can fully appreciate how busy departments can be.  Staff should be held accountable for all of their actions and non actions. Being busy can be no excuse for failing to make contact with family over a 19 hour period. It caused unnecessary anxiety and annoyance.