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"Sad at the loss of my Dad"

About: University Hospital Ayr / Accident & Emergency University Hospital Ayr / Cardiology University Hospital Ayr / Combined Assessment Unit (CAU)

(as a relative),

My 78 year old dad was admitted four times from Oct 21 to January 22, passing thru A&E, Combined Assessment Unit, then Station 10 (?) (covid ward) Station 12, Station 14, Station 8 and finally Station 6.  Other than when he was on the covid ward with the nurse spoiling him rotten, he was only allowed 1 nominated visitor - my mum. 

I have only praise and thanks for everyone up till his move to Station 8. His designated nurse assured me they would take good care of him, and let me sneak to the door of his room to blow him a wee kiss. When I rang in early January around 9.30 am, the nurse looking after him was away for their tea break, I was advised to phone back at 10.30 (some tea break).  I did as requested, asked if they were the nurse I spoke to on the previous day to be told no.

Mum had her normal afternoon visit, so I rang again at 9:30pm, spoke to the nurse who was looking after him, and asked what they were planning to do. I was advised it was more than their pay grade to decide what was happening with dad.  When I rang the ward the following evening, I told the same nurse that dad had been very upset (he had told mum he didn't think he'd be getting out hospital) and asked if they could keep a wee eye on him - to my horror they responded that they were  there to deal with the medical side of things, and that it is up to the family to deal with the patients emotions.   Well, I'm sorry, but the only family contact dad was getting was with his 78 year old wife, who sat and held his hand for an hour every day. 

He eventually had a wee heart attack on Station 8, and the doctor came round while mum was visiting.  She told the doctor dad was so tired, and was told he'd had a lot of morphine, and she would see a big difference in him the next day. The doctor then rang me around 6:00 pm to say he was being moved to a cardiac ward.  Once he was there we booked a visiting slot for mum for the following day - at no time were we told how unwell he was, or made aware he was in declining health.

The next contact was at 2:00 am to say he had passed away, on his own, without his wife of 57 years, or his only daughter who adored him.

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Update posted by hrfrosie (a relative)

Update on paragraph 2 - when I asked the nurse if she was the one I had spoken to the previous day, I wasn't just told no - I was told No, I and thay they were nursing a hangover yesterday"- just what I didn't want to hear.

I feel it is important for the powers that be to be informed of the attitude of staff - other than the lady who was there on dad's first day in the ward, the rest of the staff I met had a couldn't care less way about them. This wee lady (Gillian) was in tears when she rang the cardiac unit to be told dad had passed away. That's the kind of people the NHS should have working with them, not someone who tells family they have hangovers, or have issues dealing with patient's emotions.

We are now dealing with an aunt who is receiving end of life care at Ayr Hospital, and again the care and attention she has received from everyone has been beyond excellent. I expressed my gratitude to a junior doctor in the Yellow Zone in CAU, who thanked me for saying so and said she would pass my thanks to the nursing staff as it's them that do 95% of the work...

Response from Hazel Hynd, Acute Services Business Manager, University Hospital Ayr, NHS Ayrshire & Arran 3 years ago
Hazel Hynd
Acute Services Business Manager, University Hospital Ayr,
NHS Ayrshire & Arran
Submitted on 04/04/2022 at 09:32
Published on Care Opinion at 09:32


I am very sorry to hear of the difficulties you encountered at such an upsetting time. If you would like to discuss this further, or permit me to look into these issues in more detail, I would be very happy to do so. My name is Hazel Hynd and I'm the Acute Services Business Manager at Ayr Hospital. My extension is 16958 and my email is hazel.hynd@aapct.scot.nhs.uk

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