"Despite knowing that a person ..."

What I liked

Despite knowing that a person I knew was/is a patient at the hospital, I was told they were not there. And this is despite the person phoning me from the hospital. Now I appreciate the need for Patient Confidentiality, but was there really any need for the staff to lie so blatantly

What could be improved

Communication, either the wards don't know the names of the patients and they are all just numbers, or they have been told that unless it is immediate family not to tell truth.

Anything else?

If the patient wishes no contact to be made, callers should be informed, not lied to