"Acute Medical Unit"

We had a dreadful experience. My 84 year old aunt was admitted with low sodium levels. Her pressure was high. While the Medical Registrar in the A & E was very nice, we found the doctors over the weekend - Saturday and Sunday, really lacking. The doctor, on Saturday evening blatantly lied to us about the condition of my aunt's confusion trying to make us take her home (this was confirmed by one of their own staff as well as our own knowledge of our aunt), dismissive of me and trying to act as if I, as a woman had no say, and trying to differ the decision to my husband, even though she was my aunt and even though she was not better. The doctor on Sunday evening, accused me of having ulterior motives for not wanting to take my aunt home even though her pressure was much higher than her normal pressure. It was a disgrace!! I have never ever experienced such appalling and frankly shocking behaviour from doctors!. The nurses were excellent and the sister in charge whom I made a formal complaint to was excellent. However the following day, the nursing assistants took it upon themsleves to be extremley rude, whispering about people who complain in the morning, and then actually shouting at my husband for looking at my aunt's pressure chart and telling a cleaner to keep an eye on him as if he were a thief. When we called in about getting my aunt discharged, the ward doctor at the time, did not even know what medication she was on and what had been changed. The place is terribly disorganised, no one knew where my aunt's A & E file was and didn't seem to know what medication she was on when she was brought in...absolute fiasco. Again the nurse apologised as did the sister but as you can see, the behaviour of the doctors and nursing assistants were severely lacking. We are frankly disgusted with what we had to experience from a teaching hospital no less...Absolutely unacceptable. I will be following these incidents up with a letter to the relevant authorities. Our usual hospital is the Royal Free and both aunts have been warded there and we have never ever had to experience this level of lack of professionalism on the part of doctors and nursing assistants. I reiterate that the nurses themselves were amazing and clearly didnt agree with the doctors but couldn't say anything. Absolutely shocking experience. I would never go back if I could help it. I dread to think what would have happened if my aunt had actually experienced a stroke like the paramedics suspected. Shocked and appalled.