"My partner's experiences at Croydon University Hospital"

I am writing to complain on behalf of my Partner.

Towards the end of March my partner was admitted to A&E with stomach/back pains, I was sent home at 00. 30 as he was to be admitted and I was to come back the next morning. The hospital changed their mind at 01. 30 and sent him home without even checking there was someone here.

Earlier this month he was admitted again with the same symptoms to A&E, the junior doctor was very good and was treating my partner and although he didn't want to discharge him he was overruled by the senior doctor. we were sent away at 16. 30 with a prescription for pain relief which could not be filled until the next day because the pharmacy was closed even though my partner was in extreme pain.

The next day I had to call the Emergency services again and take him back to the hospital, when we got there he was seen by a nurse and the cannula they had put in was not in the vein so his arm was swelling and red (I also have pictures of this if required), my partner was also screaming and writhing around the bed with pain and throwing up, after 15 mins I then had to ask them to take that one out and put another in even though they were aware of the problem. He was then wheeled into the corridor (still waiting for pain relief in pain and vomiting) and left there for 3 hours still writhing in pain and groaning until I insisted a doctor see him. first I was told he hadn't been allocated (god knows what that means) then she decided she would be there in 5 minutes, I decided to wait with her so she didn't forget him again, he still hadn't had pain relief, by now it was 04. 53 the Doctor got to him and asked if he had the pain before, he told them THEY discharged him yesterday AGAIN and this was the 3rd time. 05. 17 they gave him 2 paracetamol which he promptly threw up his vomit by this time had got darker in colour. she explained that she would be getting a surgeon to look at him asap.

The surgeon came just after 7 while I was getting another parking ticket, they decided they needed to move him to AMU and wanted a scan and endoscopy, he also asked that my partner get an injection for pain relief before he was moved, this was not given instead a nurse put a syringe of something into his mouth for him to swallow, he promptly threw it all up again.

Once they moved him to the ward I went to get him some clothes which took just over an hour, as I left at 8 his mother asked for pain relief for him, he was still waiting when I got back at 09. 10 I repeated the request and was told he'd had an injection on A&E, I did tell them this hadn't happened and was told he'd have to wait until the surgeon came and they didn't know how long that would be. I insisted that they call him straight away, how can any person in the so called caring profession just listen to someone in agony and do nothing, the nurse eventually called and he then had pain relief prescribed for him.

He had the scan and it was decided to put him on antibiotics and pain relief, they say it's a very bad infection and gall stones.

He was then moved off AMU and put on to Fairfield 2, the day care on here for 1 day was exemplary, it has now changed. 1 person was in there to be monitored, he left without informing the staff as they had never checked on him in the 6 hours he was there, I'm not sure if they even realised. my partner has called me tonight as he couldn't stand how bad others on the ward were treated by the staff, he was in tears, a patient with parkinsons had been asking for a drink for 2 hours and couldn't hold the cup themselves so my partner had to do it as the person was crying. The food was delivered to another patient and by the time someone came to help him eat it was cold so he wouldn't eat it (would you) and my partners food was not what he'd asked for and no one had bothered to offer him an alternative it was eat what's been left or do without so he'd had to do without as well. none of the nurses have name tags and the allocated nurses name is illegible on the board.

I can bring him food in if you will provide facilities for it to be heated, if you run out of their choice surely its common decency to ask what they'd prefer from what is left, they are not being treated as human beings and the staff can't keep mistreating patients.

While your looking into this I suggest they also fix the door on the cupboard my partners personal items are being stored in, this has been broken since he got there, the chair has to be put against it to stop it falling off, luckily I only cut my finger when it fell against the chair I was moving to sit on or I would also be claiming compensation.

I look forward to a reply as soon as possible and the door being fixed as was promised by the Matron who visited the ward and also took note of the lack of name tags on the nursing staff. Please also make sure that my partner is not treated any worse because of this complaint he has suffered enough because of the inadequate treatment he has already received.