"Staff have now dislocated my mum's hip 3 times"

My 78 year old mother fell and broke her hip. She was rushed to A& E at Queens. The operation was a success and she was discharged.

At home she fell and an ambulance was called. The ambulance crew mishandled her when trying to get her into the 'stretcher' chair. The crew managed to get her bad leg (i.e. where the hip had been partially replaced) caught under the chair and this dislocated the hip.

My mum was taken to Queens again. This time she was left for over 36 hours before the hip was put back in place by the surgeon. She was recovering well when the nurses on the Amber A ward (the orthopaedic ward) manhandled her whilst in bed and dislocated her hip again. She waited over 6 hours and was suffering with the pain before any pain relief was given, and she waited for another 4 hours before going for an x-ray.

My mum then had her hip put back in place the next day. This time the legs were strapped together with a special cushion between her legs to hold the hip in place until she could be fitted with a special brace. We were told that this had been ordered and she would be measured and fitted the following morning.

Until the brace was fitted she had to remain in bed. My sister went to the hospital early so she could speak with the physiotherapist and check that the brace was going to be fitted. She was told the brace hadn’t been ordered and the fitter had left the hospital. My mum was told she would have to stay as she was until the next week when the fitter next returned to the hospital.

In the afternoon one of the hospital staff asked my mum to roll over and wriggle around (on her bad side) so she could give her a bed pan, this was witnessed by my sister. My mum protested and said that she couldn’t wriggle but the staff insisted. This caused my mum’s hip to dislocate a 3rd time. The bandages were displaced and the cushion re-aligned in such a way as to cause extreme pain.

She has been on morphine now for 5 days and we are not certain when the hip is going to be sorted, my mum is extremely distressed, depressed and constantly crying. Then a doctor told staff that they could fit a brace (previously unavailable) and get her out of bed and walking although the hip is still dislocated. There was no way my mum could stand on it let alone walk.

I am dismayed by the lack of staff care and inexperience in moving a patient in this specialised ward. It’s dreadful.