My wife is an in-patient with metastatic breast cancer and kidney problems. She was moved from one ward to another very late on a Friday night without explanation and "dumped" there. Next morning she felt very unwell and asked to see a doctor; we both asked via nursing staff 5 times during the day to see a doctor. The message came back that the doctor was very busy with ill patients on other wards but would come as soon as possible. Nobody came. On Sunday she still felt very unwell and asked again to see a doctor. One finally arrived at lunchtime, full of apologies. He said he was responsible for 11 wards and it had been a very busy weekend. Blood tests revealed that her calcium level had plummeted, which was very dangerous for her. In effect, no doctor had checked her condition since Friday afternoon, and she is very ill. This came as a great shock and disappointment because we had enjoyed a really positive experience of the hospital over the previous 5 weeks. The Whittington has great, dedicated staff. We have met nothing but kindness, courtesy and professionalism from nearly everyone we encountered during this time. We had been in A&E twice, Ambulatory Care, HDU and 3 different wards, so we can speak from experience. The low level of medical cover over weekends has really surprised us.
"Not a good place to be in at weekends"
About: The Whittington Hospital The Whittington Hospital London N19 5NF
Posted via nhs.uk
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