"Poor treatment at BGH"

Close relative admitted by gp as walking deteriorated and a little more confused. (Diagnosed with dementia after fall down stairs 2 years ago hitting head.)

Getting moved round wards due to bed crisis and not allowed visitors due to covid which has made him feel his wife has abandoned him and me also (his daughter) 

So angry. The BGH have shut off access to my relative. We have been trying to get power of attorney and now guardianship which has been delayed because of covid and now the medics seem to think they know my relative better and have -taken over as his guardian-and put him in ward 7 with no visitors. Now our relative is expressing losing will to live. (Talking about having given up and wanting to walk to the woods.) Relative has -delerium-they say! Well been like that for 2 years at home but we get no help with this?

They say he can't walk but guess what? he has been struggling for 2 years at home, but physio did nothing to help. Me and his partner have been managing all of this at home ourselves since the fall down stairs, with gps giving little support. But dr said they don't have to communicate with me, just his NOK....who has also been told she no longer has any say in his care. His physical state so important, yes but what about his mental state? But it seems the consultant knows him better than us? All we ask is to support him through visits since they won't let him home...but no..

Oh and....they say they can look after him better, but moved him to another ward in the middle of the night whilst he was suffering from 'delirium', to a ward not suitable for medical (boarding due to bed crisis). But when I challenged this, I was told he was 'medically fit' to be boarded in non medical ward - but then, when we say we want to take him home if his is medically fit, as moving him has worsened his confusion, the doctor dismissed us from his care cos we have not got guardianship. They stated he is too medically unwell to be discharged? Why then move someone with delirium through night and especially when he IS medically unstable?

They are not working with the 2 people who keep him alive and well, both mentally and physically at home. As soon as they need his bed, will we be expected to jump? Very disappointed in this, as well as seeing him sat in soaking wet pad overnight and not been showered or helped to dress. Sitting with pyjamas under inside out day clothes, no socks but they have -taken over his care-because we have no guardianship order and they need to keep him safe? He cant come home. The nightstaff let him phone his wife at 3am, sometimes several times a night because they cannot settle his agitation? This just exacerbates his thoughts that we have abandoned him.

We made a complaint 2 years ago because of his treatment after falling downstairs which all our family believed caused his confusion etc (brain damage) and they refused to talk to us about it because we didn't have guardianship or POA. But they expected he would be fine and have full capacity one day, only to fall and then have little capacity and not be able to walk well following week?  It feels like once again they use the fact we have no POA or guardianship to push us out of his care.

Just after his fall we went into lockdown and have struggled to get POA due to covid. Psychiatrist agreed to POA finally last month but a gp then blocked it and now we have to apply for guardianship. But our biggest fear has come to light.. another admission to Borders General Hospital! And again they won't work with us... perhaps because we made a formal complaint which they have refused to hear for 2 years.