"The policy for restricted visiting ..."

What I liked

The policy for restricted visiting hours giving opportunity for the hospital staff to carry out their work and the patients time to benefit.

Consideration and discretion was used regarding numbers of visitors.

What could be improved

At least four points

1. a) The whole regime of ordering food was unsatisfactory. The order had to be placed too far in advance (2 days). At the time of my visit my nephew had been told he would be moving but was asked to order for the next patient. Some other system needs to be found to make sure all patients are fed.

b) Food that was ordered by my nephew was not always available when the meal came. The choice was too limited and no help was offered. He had difficulty swallowing and the sensible option would have been to blend/liquidise his choice.

2. Communication re treatment

When a doctor visited they did not make sure my nephew heard or understood their comments. My nephew's ears were covered by a bandage. The nurse he later asked to explain ignored or forgot to respond to his request for information.

3. Provision of beds and communication

Later he was moved out of Ward 1 to Ward 2, because his bed was required for the next patient. No bed was ready for him in the next ward. He was left sitting in a wheelchair for many hours - surely not good rest for a head operation recovery. Meanwhile his parents, who naturally wanted to see him settled for the night, had a delayed departure and missed a sensible time for an evening meal. Surely someone knew what the timescale for finding a bed was. The correct one was never found and my nephew was left in a bed that was brought from elsewhere to prevent him creating a fuss late at night, with a promise, never kept, of a change in the morning.

4. Availability of prescription

In spite of this lack of treatment my nephew was persuaded to stay until his prescription was prepared the following morning. It was not available at the due time. This had also happened on his previous visit a few weeks earlier. It was late afternoon before it was produced. Again a lot of wasted time for those who had come to collect him. If the staff had been giving assistance their time would also have been wasted.

Anything else?

The efforts of the surgeon are being jeopardised by poor follow up. More thought is required as to how treatment is continued. While keeping records is necessary surely a prime consideration for recovery is clear communication to avoid worry.