"My Mother"

My 85 year old mother was admitted to Ward J26 Acute Medicine - Admissions, on the Chancellor Wing on a Thursday afternoon.

A couple of days later my mother was moved from Ward J26 to Ward J17, Elderly Medicine, on the Gledhow Wing. On her arrival on Ward J17 a Staff Nurse asked me to have a look at my mother. I saw that she had a large bruise and scratches. The Staff Nurse asked, if I knew how she had got the large bruise and scratches as there was no notes on the file to say that she had the large bruise and scratches when she was on Ward J26. I told the Staff Nurse that my mother did not have the large bruise or scratches at home and this was the first time that I had seen them. I also told the Staff Nurse that I had no idea how she had got them. My mother was not treated with dignity or respect. In my opinion my mother had been roughly handled.

I arrived to visit my mother at lunchtime on Sunday. She said that she had a really bad back. I asked one of the nursing staff, if a doctor could see my mother. They said that there was “no doctor available, because it was Sunday”. A Staff Nurse came to see my mother instead. The Staff Nurse said that they were “not aware” of my mothers bad back and that they had “not seen anything in the notes”. Severe back pain was one of the reasons why my mother was admitted to hospital and it was in the notes. The Staff Nurse gave my mother paracetamol, which did nothing to stop the pain. My mother was anxious, agitated and in a lot of pain. No doctor was called by the Staff Nurses or nursing staff, despite my numerous requests for them to do so.

In my opinion, when I told the Staff Nurses or nursing staff about my mother being in pain and for them to call a doctor, my concerns were dismissed and I was not listened to. Also it said in the notes that my mother was hospital averse. Nothing was given to her to calm her down. At 5. 30pm my mother seemed to be stable and she looked like she was going to sleep, so I left to go home. At 6. 10pm I received a telephone call from the hospital. They said that my mothers blood pressure was falling rapidly and a doctor was with her. I told them that she had been in pain all afternoon. I immediately went back to the hospital. At the Ward Reception Desk they said that my mother was now being examined by two doctors.

On Monday morning my mother was moved into a private room on Ward J17. At 9. 30am during doctors rounds I met the Consultant who was in charge of my mothers case. When they started to speak they said another patients name. I told the Consultant my mothers name. On Monday evening I was at my mothers bedside when she passed away. I had been at the hospital continuously from 6. 40pm on Sunday and I didn’t leave until 9pm on Monday. I left the hospital feeling stunned and very badly let down by the lack of care and empathy that my late mother had to go through during this horrendous time.