"Fathers Stay in hospital"

My father (80) was admitted to Sandwell Hospital on 28/03/2014 after a fall at home. He had just had a morphine patch from the doctor on 25/03/2014 and he seemed to have a reaction to it. While in hospital he had a low salt reading, was very tired and slept most of the time. Not eating much and could not stand or walk due to ostioporosis in his lower back. I did tell them about his back. The physios were coming into him every day to get him to stand and walk with out much change. I was visiting twice a day.

After 15 (11. 04. 2014) days in a ward they had a talk with me to say if I could care for him at home if they got the equipment of course I said yes He was my dad. They then changed therir mind and decided to send him to a rehabilitation home (it seemed they wanted the ward emptied as they needed to do a deep clean). He was still tired and unable to walk properly and it was a bank holiday

12/04/2014 The home was beautiful, Waterside Tipton. An ambulance took him and we setteled him in. The staff were very nice but were concered that my dad couldn't do things for him self.

14/04/2014 I had to go back to the hospital because they had forgotten to give me a handing over letter and some cream.

15/04/2014 My dad was sent back from the home to the hospital as he was not getting any better. The home called me to say he had been sent out. I went to Sandwell hospital and waited for him. He did not turn up and I asked the reception where my dad was. They told me he was at Russells Hall Hospital. So I travelled over to Russells Hall (I dont drive) who told me that he had arrived but as he was under Sandwell so the ambulance had taken him back to Sandwell. This had been several hours since the first call and I didn't know where my dad was. I got back to Sandwell and they told me he had not turned up. We eventually found him in A & E. And he was then admitted to Newton 1 AEU this was after 6pm.

16/04/2014. The hospital staff was concered about the condition of my dad and they said they were going to investigate the home.

17/04/2014 He was moved to Priory 5

18/04/2014 We had emergency calls today to say my dad had taken a turn for the worse. We all arrived but he was stabilised. I stayed at the hospital. We had another call later in the day for the same thing. They moved him to aside ward and the Nurse said I could stay with him. He was being looked after and the nursing staff were very good. He was not having much to eat and they had to suck out the mucus from his lungs often

20/04/02014 His arms were very swollen and they were having trouble putting his canula in as his arms were leaking. I asked them to put him in a normal ward so he could hear what was going on around him I didnt want him just shut away.

21/04/2014 A physio came to see my dad he said he was doing ok (? ) Two more canulas were put in his foot - they came out

22/04/2014 He didnt have any fluid today or antibiotics. They put another canula in his foot the doctor came and saw him was insensitive to say they were just going to monitor him. I told them he had not had any food since he came back into hospital and they could not play God they had got to give my dad a fighting chance and not starve him. He had another chest Xray.

24/04/2014 They finaly put in a feeding tube at 5. 30pm then had to wait for another xray to make sure it was in the right place. he was on 20ml per hour for 20 hours. He moved his legs

25/04/2014 He blinked his eyes and had 250ml of water and was on 40ml of food per hour for 20 hrs but it was not replaced for several hours

26/04/2014 He was not too good today

27/04/2014 He needed a new tube fitted but we had to wait until 3. 30 pm after an xray for the food to be fixed

28/04/2014 my dad was not good today more problems

29/04/2014 They called me in to the office to say what I already knew was going to happen.

He passed away at 10. 30pm after a good fight.

Even after he had died I pressed the buzzer for some help from the nurses - no one came so had to go and find someone.

The nursing staff on all the wards worked hard for my dad but the Doctors seemed to put a lot of work on the young training doctors who could not authorise medication/food tubes etc. and if it was a weekend you had to wait for the following monday or on a bank holiday tuesday before anything was sorted. I knew my dad was going to die in hospital and he wasnt going to be alone so I stayed all day every day I did what I told him I would do. I did my part.