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Waiting for Patient Transport

Posted By Kielin

"Waiting for Patient Transport"

About: Borders General Hospital Scottish Ambulance Service / Patient Transport Service

(as a service user),

Mum was admitted to the local hospital with a suspected stroke. Turned out not to be that serious. Unfortunately, she is bed-bound and requires transport back home and help up the stairs into bed. She's now been waiting 24 hours. I am her main carer, her youngest daughter, and I have a father at home who is dying. He really doesn't have long left and yet I can't get her home from hospital because it seems that people can't be bothered to get co-ordinated and think I'm actually faking the fact that dad is dying. So, the chances are dad'll have passed away before she even gets home. I'm worried that the man she's been married to for 65 years and known since she was 14 and she won't even get to say goodbye.

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Responses

Response from Pat O'Meara, General Manager, Events, Scottish Ambulance Service 6 years ago
Pat O'Meara
General Manager, Events,
Scottish Ambulance Service

Head of Events

Submitted on 05/06/2017 at 12:39
Published on Care Opinion at 13:44

Dear Kielen,

Please let me help you - you can contact me direct on 0141 810 6101 or pomeara@nhs.net and I will help you get you mother home to your dad.

Pat

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Response from Lynn McCallum, Medical Director, NHS Borders 6 years ago
Lynn McCallum
Medical Director,
NHS Borders

Along with the Director of Nursing, we are collectively responsible for the clinical care delivered within NHS Borders.

Submitted on 05/06/2017 at 13:13
Published on Care Opinion at 13:45

picture of Lynn McCallum

Dear Kielin,

Thank you for taking the time (especially given the circumstances) to let us know of your mum's experience. I am obviously familiar with the situation and can enormously sympathise, especially knowing how upset both you and your mum were on Friday night/Saturday.

I won't apologise (although I know you are aware that I am sorry!) as I know from our recent conversations that you feel that this doesn't help. However what I will do is forward this to our colleagues in the SAS and endeavour to ensure that we try to learn from this experience. Ideally we would have some predictability over patient transport and much more understanding of when this would arrive but I'm sure you are aware that they balance lots of different patient requirements, outwith the acute hospital setting.

I hope that your mum is now comfortably back at home with your dad and that they are able to enjoy the time that they have left together. If there is anything further that I can do to help them, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. My secretary's number is 01896826195 and I will call you back as soon as I am able.

Thank you once again for telling us of your mum's experience and please tell both of your parents that I am asking after them.

Best wishes,

Lynn

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Update posted by Kielin (a service user)

Thank you, Lynn, I will pass your good wishes on. And thank you, Pat. Mum is now home, we got her home around 2/2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Dad has stabilised again, it is amazing sometimes how deeply they are connected and how the pull each other up. Though I know it's only a matter of time, I'm trying to make that time as much of a quality experience for them both as possible. Mum doesn't remember the incident at all and dad doesn't care :) bless.

Response from Pat O'Meara, General Manager, Events, Scottish Ambulance Service 6 years ago
Pat O'Meara
General Manager, Events,
Scottish Ambulance Service

Head of Events

Submitted on 06/06/2017 at 11:28
Published on Care Opinion at 13:39

Thank you Kielen and this is great news. I hope that everything goes as well as it can under such difficult circumstances.

Please contact me direct if there is any way that I need to help you in the future.

Pat

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