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Concerned about security

Posted By Octend

"Concerned about security"

About: Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow / General medicine (Wards 5d)

(as other),

Recently visiting someone in QEUH I was very concerned to be able simply to walk into a ward completely unchallenged. I walked past patient rooms with doors half open, compromising patients' privacy. I eventually found a HCA and asked if I could visit the person I was in to see, explaining that I couldn't find any staff on the ward at all. They explained that there were only 2 registered nurses on and one was at lunch. 

Anyone could have walked into that ward - it raised issues of patient safety for me.

Later, the person I was visiting who was in severe pain had to wait just over 90 minutes to receive pain relief.

It was clear that the ward was struggling due to staffing - the staff I did speak with were doing their best.

Following the visit, I tried to contact the ward to see how the person I'd been visiting was getting on, but I could never get an answer to the phone. I tried via switchboard and directly, at varying times day, evening, even night and not once in 12+ times of calling did I get the phone answered.

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Responses

Response from Nicole McInally, Patient Experience and Public Involvement Project Manager, PEPI, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 2 years ago
Nicole McInally
Patient Experience and Public Involvement Project Manager, PEPI,
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Submitted on 03/12/2021 at 14:54
Published on Care Opinion at 14:54

picture of Nicole McInally

Posted on behalf of Siobhan Rawdon

Dear Octend

Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your story.

Many thanks for taking the time to raise your concerns regarding security and ease of access to clinical areas including patients' rooms. All clinical areas including wards on the QEUH site have a secured door entry system where you either must have a staff pass to enter, or ward staff must allow you entry. We also note your concerns over patient room doors being left open denying them privacy. Often patients request that their room door is left open as this helps them feel less isolated and have an awareness of goings on in the clinical area. Nursing and Allied Health Professionals ask patients their preference as to whether they wish their room door to remain open or closed as part of their person-centred care planning, maintaining patient's privacy and dignity is paramount.

We sincerely apologise for you being unable to make contact via telephone to the clinical area looking after your relative, we have as you state had staff shortages due to the recent Covid pandemic, there has been additional ward clerk cover put in place in ward areas to try to support nursing vacancies, we hope that this will help improve communication between patients, relatives and clinical staff.

Kind Regards,

Siobhan Rawdon

Lead Nurse - Medicine - QEUH

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