"Nurse's bad attitude"

My mum was on this ward last year when diagnosed with lung cancer and died a few weeks later at home. The staff on ward four were great. However, my brother has now been admitted to ward four and is in a quite confused state. Today I asked to speak to his nurse (although different to his named nurse as none of the boards had been changed). the nurse avoided eye contact, seemed to go deaf and wandered off round the ward fiddling with notes etc., so I had to ask my questions across ward/patients/visitors. I asked that if my brother had been sent from MAU to this lung ward under his consultant, were we to assume they were looking for a lung problem. No answer. As the nurse returned up the ward to leave I told them we were worried about lung cancer. The nurse laughed and said, 'Cancer, don't be silly of course it's not cancer!' The nurse obviously had enough medical information and expertise to make this snap diagnosis. I pointed out it was a natural worry as my brother had been exposed to asbestos in the past. 'Well just ask!' they replied, rather rudely, and walked off. That is what I was trying to do.

I am always polite and respectful. If a nurse can't tell me anything due to patient confidentiality, just say, If they don't know, just say and direct me to someone who does. I asked to see the Ward Sister to air this complaint but there wasn't one on today. Otherwise I wouldn't be writing this.