"My dad's recent hospital stay"

My father became seriously unwell at home with irregular heartbeat, temperature, rigors and was admitted to ARI by ambulance. He was transferred from ED to Ward 103 with a serious infection, dehydrated, unable to pass urine and feeling very sick indeed.  

He has now been in hospital for 4 days and counting. Most of that spent hooked up to antibiotics for an infection and near sepsis. 

Now my Dad is not your average 66 year old man, he has a list of chronic medical conditions as long as my arm, he is reliant on a CPAP machine and his mobility ain't the best, if covid-19 had never turned up he would have had a new knee back in 2020 or 2021. But I digress.

So 103, 3 days into his admission and my mum (his informal carer when he is at home) helped him to have a shower and change his bed.  Then a sign appears on his door, without explanation, stating that while he has his CPAP machine on (which keeps him breathing when he sleeps) staff are not to enter his room.  Now I feel I'm quite intelligent, his covid swab was negative taken on the day of admission in ED, so one can only assume it is because the CPAP machine has a filter and whilst blowing air into his lungs it also blows air in to the room. But no one provided an explanation as to the sign.  

This morning, his bed is stripped whilst he is in the bathroom and he is told he has to sit in a chair for breakfast. Now again, I sang about PJ paralysis when the motion was introduced. But this is a 66 year old man with a list of chronic illnesses and is not your usual patient. So stripped of his bed sheets he sits in his chair, has his breakfast and waits in agony for his regular medications which he needs for chronic, debilitating pain.  

Tonight, the nurse looking after him and the 30 other patients,  tells him his CPAP machine needs to be off for 1 hour before they can come in and give him his pain relief at 10pm and again off 1 hour before they come in to give him his 6am meds or they can't come in.  A simple request for anyone else, but not my Dad, he lives his days at home going to bed at about 8pm if not earlier and gets up about noon the next day, rising overnight and in the morning for pain relief. 

In my opinion the NHS is battered, bruised and  broken. Staff are doing the best they can, but are understaffed, overworked, tired and frazzled. I feel this is plain for all to see. 

But my questions are: 

Where is patient choice? 

Where is the basic communication that offers an explanation? 

Should my Dad be happy with a system that's broken and causing him undue distress, pain and frustration. At his lowest moments when he is feeling beaten by infection and looking for someone to provide him with a basic choice, explanation, pain relief or perhaps simply a sheet for his bed? 

I did try several times to call the ward today, but despite the phone ringing, ringing and ringing nobody answered. 

I believe the NHS bosses are so busy trying to improve and adapt the system they have not taken a second to pause, look up, evaluate and reflect. 

My Dad's quality of life is sadly poor, he lives in a world of pain and any opportunity for joy, laughter or a moment of pure happiness is tainted by pain. 

In my opinion surely, the NHS can provide the right treatment in the right place at the right time without making a person feel that they have been robbed of their choice and right to communication?