"concerned this could happen to other..."

What I liked

CDU. Fantastic Ward 26. Professionalism of Ambulance Crews.

What could be improved

Ward 33

Remembering to put splints back on broken legs before allowing patient to be discharged in obvious pain! This would avoid great suffering to my 97 year old mother who in this case was readmitted within 24 hours screaming in pain as her broken knee had bent.

Stage 4 pressure sores - through to the bone allowed to develope from nothing whilst in this ward.

Lots of time spent writing what has to be done or has been done but not as much time spent doing what should be done!

Lack of continuality when new staff take over.

Excuses and blame shifting when things go wrong

No comment!

Anything else?

March: Our 97 year old mum was admitted to Ward 33 with a broken knee & was booked in for an operation the following day. There were delays and she finally had the op 3 days later and had a splint put on which we were told she would have to wear for several weeks. Over the next 10 days she was in increasing pain due to the development of bed sores on her heels and on her lower spine which she did not have when she went in. This is confirmed in records from her Nursing Home and from the ward records. On the day she was discharged she was in extreme pain when she was moved. She was taken to a hospital nursing home and admitted to a Dementia ward even though she does not have dementia, (for some reason the ward had decided she was a dementia case because of her hard hearing and being unable to talk because of a sore mouth and lack of dentures) but was only there a few hours when she was crying out in such pain they had to call an ambulance. The ambulance people were there when I arrived and she was screaming as they were moving her, It was awful to hear my 97 year old mother screaming, something that I will never forget. It was at this point I noticed she had no splint on her leg. The leg had been slightly bent and was the obvious source of a lot of her pain! This and her bed sore on her back which, we were told later in the day in CDU was a stage 4 - through to the bone! While we were waiting in A&E my brother went to the ward where she had been the previous day and after reading the notes was told that the staff had taken off the splint to releive pressure but had failed to put it back on when she was discharged!!

Today 8th April: In ward 26 her pressure sores have been diagnosed on her heals as stage 4, black and rotten to the bone. The one on her lower spine even worse. But at least she is in a great ward and getting the very best attention. I was promised they would do everything to make up for what has happened