"Dreadful. Hoping to find a way to get..."

What I liked

This is about a friend of mine - who is too ill to write a review - though he has been sent home. He has had an operation already on his brain and is due another in three weeks time – however five days ago, he was hallucinating (visual and aural), had extreme sensitivity to light and was passing in and out of consciousness. He was taken into Kettering hospital, where he was given a lumbar puncture – which the trainee doctor botched so was done again. The result of the test was blood – but the logic was it might have been caused by the botched first attempt – so nothing was done about it – which begs the question why both taking the test.

He was discharged from Kettering yesterday afternoon in such head pain that he crying (this is a man who doesn’t “do that” sort of thing). He is now in bed, with his duvet over his head to filter out the light, eating as many painkillers as he can find and waiting for a letter of admission to Oxford for more brain surgery.

In Wellingborough first class post can take five days to arrive – as he says he can “feel the part inside his head that has gone wrong” - apparently bleeds can exert enough pressure to cause this very sensation – I am wondering if he will actually be alive by the time someone actually helps him.

Although I know that all sorts of people start taking notice when negligence is shown and someone dies, I was wondering if there was a way to get help to someone with a brain injury before they die.

(If it helps, Oxford themselves said at the time that they were in two minds about letting him home between the first and second operation – it was only the fact that he was willing to give up the bed that they he went home at all).

Trying to speak with Kettering hospital is a non-starter (unless you know the name of someone who does anything other than patronise people).

Who is the right body to complain to – to try and get someone given medical attention before they are dead?

What could be improved

Not sending home a patient with both visual and aural hallucinations, extreme head pain, evidence of a brain bleed and headache so severe he blacks out periodically.

Instead he has been sent home - where he is either vomiting, unconcious or in extreme head pain.

Anything else?

Oxford hospital in fairness (John Radcliffe) were superb when he was there for the first part of his brain surgery, Kettering hospital truly couldn't seem to care less.

I suspect partly because the brain injury results in someone appearing drunk / disorientated, it is easy to just make assumptions and dismiss someone.