"Acute lack of communication"

Anything else?

There appears to be evidence of a disjoin in communications between nursing staff and patients' closest relatives over actions to be taken with patients. Yesterday, having visited my elderly mother who has vascular dementia I took time to speak to the nursing staff responsible for her on WARD 50 and I was given to understand that my mother was unlikely to leave the hospital before the weekend. As mother was bored having been in the hospital several days, I bought her a TV card for £5 and together we also filled in the meals order form for the next couple of days so, when I left her, she was happy and I reassuringly told her that I'd visit same time following day. Within 2 hours of my leaving the hospital, I was telephoned by the nursing staff to say my mother was "on her way to The Cottage Hospital, Ellesmere Port" apparently for rehab. If I hadn't been so tired, I would have been furious! My poor mother would probably have had no idea as to where she was been taken - and this sort of decision making "on the hoof" without involving the closest relative can only cause patients with dementia more confusion.