"Ward 27 RAH- something is very wrong"

Something is very wrong on this ward.

My dad was placed on this ward following a stroke. Initially he was in isolation due to coming via the SATA ward and then in a ward of 6 beds. I visited almost every day for a month and have seen first hand the dangerous situation festering on this ward.

Incidents include:

A mix up with medication which was not initially recorded on the KARDIX and which the nurses denied knowledge of as it wasn't on the notes/ they weren't on the ward that day (a common refrain from nurses and doctors). A senior nurse promised to investigate and call me back- 17 days later, I'm still waiting. An investigation blamed shortage of staff. Why was this situation allowed to occur and why was neither patient nor next of kin informed about it?

My father was left sitting in a bloodied PJ top and naked other than a nappy, for 5 hours, in full view of anyone in the corridor. When I asked why, the nurse said they thought someone would have dressed him. Why was my father afforded no dignity or care? How is this acceptable?

One evening a nurse walked in, lifted his jammy top without a word , injected his belly and left without speaking. How is this acceptable practice?

My father had no id bracelet for 2 weeks. No id checks were made when meds were dispensed. How did this go unnoticed and is this acceptable? 

For 2 weeks my dad was in an isolation room where the tv didn't work with no company and unable to read as the stroke damaged his vision. No offers were made to give him a way to communicate, nobody showed any care. They left him alone, miserable and frightened that he had covid and was being left to die. I took him a radio, which was regularly moved out of his reach along with the nurse buzzer. Why was this acceptable?

I wrote on his 'important to me' sheet that he was often confused when he woke up and needed reassuring. This, along with a request to leave him a cup to drink from, was erased. Why was this 'important' board deemed unimportant?

When I complained to NHSGGC about his treatment a nurse came in and told him off for complaining and said he should raise it with them instead. As we had raised multiple issues with no resolution it seems unreasonable to chastise an 85 year old for his daughter making a complaint. Is this acceptable to RAH?

The care plan in the red folder appears to be lip service to some legality- it certainly wasn't being followed. My dad had no shave for a week and it was almost 2 weeks before his teeth were brushed. Very little was explained to him in terms of his care or treatments. Why are the care plans being ignored?

On his first day on the ward we requested an urgent referral as his feet were extremely painful and ulcerated, leaking fluid. 27 days later, after asking 5 separate doctors and multiple nurses, a referral was made. Why was this not done on the first request? It was clearly a medical issue. Why didn't the doctors even look at his foot when asked? When I asked for the names of the doctors I had spoken to the nurse on duty said they didn't know how to access the system. Is there really a significant IT training issue here?

Doctors on this ward seem to act as if they have forgotten their patients are sentient humans worthy of care and explanations. Multiple times my father has been examined by doctors who speak to each other, but say nothing to him. Have they forgotten their manners or even how to be kind? One doctor said today that all doctors were rotated off ward 27 on 2nd August and every doctor was new. How can there be continuity of care if all doctors are now elsewhere? How will this impact accountability as nurses seem unable to identify doctors or access their notes?

It's pretty bleak, I'm terrified to leave my father on this ward and I'm running out of character space to list examples of the issues. Nurses make mistakes with meds and don't acknowledge them; the doctors I've met act callous and never seem to have read the notes; the person on the phone was rude and lacked compassion. The nurses are thin on the ground. And goodness help you if you are there over a bank holiday, it's a ghost ward. That said, there are a few angels who make me think there might be hope: the HCAs have shown my dad empathy and kindness, treated him sympathetically and with both dignity and respect. 

Nobody is taking responsibility or accountability for the problems on this ward- whenever I raise them the refrain of "will pass it on/ I wasn't there so can't comment" are the only responses.

Clinically, professionally, morally - something very wrong happened to our family on ward 27.