"Stroke ward: Patient care is not the best"

I had reason to voice my concerns to the ward manager re a certain member of staff re her treatment of my husband. She tried to force him to swallow two whole paracetamols even tho my husband was on puréed food and was having difficulties with swallowing liquid. She did this once without me being present but told me on my arrival that she had had to dissolve them in water and he had spilt it down his top. This she didn't change, and then during my presence which she said I suppose I had better dissolve them and promptly spilt it again due to him being unable to swallow.

I had asked the doc on the previous day to prescribe liquid paracetamol and informed her that it was kept in his locked medicine drawer. She said it wasn't there as other patients on the ward also needed it. I asked if she also freely dosed other patients with prescribed medicines and she said it was only paracetamol. I asked her what she was going to do now the full medication hadn't been given and she said she would top it up. I asked how as she didn't have any liquid paracetamol to give him. My husband remained in pain. She said the pharmacy was shut so couldn't get any. I wonder what the other patients did who also could only take liquid.

She also ignored call buttons, even tho present in the bay when I was ringing to notify staff that another patient was trying to get out of bed. My husband has aphasia but was also trying to get her attention. She did not "toilet" anyone as she always passed this task onto others even tho patients had to wait. The ward manager said she had gone home as she was ill but would make sure she went on the training that was coming up. I was also promised feedback but the ward sister was then on holiday.

My husband was in considerable back pain but the paracetamol was only dispensed every 6 hours. I asked the doc about this and he said only 8 tablets in 24 hours. My husband was on 4 in 24 hours. Yet when we came home the dosage is 2 tablets 4 times a day.

Also my husband developed a bladder infection that he, I and a nurse brought to the attention of ward sister. His urine was creamy and he had puss leaking at the insertion of the catheter. On the evening I insisted that his urine was dipped when they emptied the bag. They said they had put a call out for a doctor but non came. My husband ended up on morphine due to the pain. It was distressing for him, me and his sister who was present.

Next morning I arrived early to catch doctors rounds and found the doc in attendance with my husband. When I questioned him as to why such a bad infection was not picked up earlier by the qualified staff he couldn't give me a reason. I said I would be asking questions and he said I needed answers. The antibiotics took till 1. 30 that afternoon to appear and was only collected when I offered to keep an eye on the patient who was always trying to get out of bed.

There are many more incidents during my husbands 3 weeks stay. I was called one morning to see if I could get in early as my husband was distressed and they couldn't settle him and that he had been moved back to bay 2 cos he had been trying to get out of bed in the night. My husband was paralysed down the right side. On arrival at the ward I found my husband sat in the chair at the side of the bed shaking and banging his foot on the floor. When I asked he indicated he wanted the toilet but his call button was on the locker and his "point" sheet out of reach. This is what had happened during night as well (another patient told me). This resulted in a note in his records stating he wife mentioned he needed his call button nearby as he had asphasia. (Words to that effect you can check the records) I think this was 2 weeks into his stay.

On discharge my husband was sent home with no night bag or stand for his catheter (the district nurse had to attend at home when I reported this) and his slippers missing. Very poor discharge. When I was informed on the phone that the discharge was taking place that day, I was told not to travel to the hospital as I was needed at home as an agency was coming to assess his care package. I had wanted to go to pack his things and also reassure my husband what was happening.

Patient care is not the best in this high dependency ward.