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My mum of 84 at the MAU

Posted By aprilfw46

"My mum of 84 at the MAU"

About: Western General Hospital / Medical Assessment Unit

(as a relative),

My mum was admitted by ambulance to the Western Hospital following a call from her GP who had been to see her at her nursing home. The ambulance crew were expecting her to be admitted to a ward straightaway but she was sent to the Medical Assessment Unit, this was at about 8:00pm.

She was not seen by a nurse until 9:10. My mum is wheelchair bound and needed a hoist  to be able to be examined. This was organised but was not seen by a doctor until 3:00 am.

My mum is 84, has had two strokes and was dehydrated. Had she been suffering from anything even more serious I don't like to think what could have happened. she needed liquids and antibiotics, by 3:00am  we were both exhausted and thirsty.

When the Dr arrived they were very brusque and matter of fact, bordering on rude. I was asked a lot of questions to which I did not have all the answers. Questions about a medication patch she had, when it had been changed, information I did not have as this would have been handled at the care home. I felt like n idiot.

It was decided  mum needed more tests and medication was prescribed for her, the doctor the  left saying they would come back later. However, prescription was in tablet form and unsuitable as mum has difficulty swallowing. A nurse was trying to get an oral suspension that mum would be able to take. When the doctor returned they asked if mum had taken the medication. I explained she had not as she cannot swallow tablets. This doctor then used unacceptable swearing to express surprise that they themself hadn't factored that in.

Even a week later I was feeling shocked and angry.

The following day mum was admitted to the MAU base ward where she was treated excellently 

A further observation is that there is nowhere to get a hot drink or a biscuit, not even from a vending machine. Nothing except water.  I was there with my mum shortly after 8:00pm and was with her all through the night. A hot drink would have very been welcome.

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Responses

Response from Claire Gordon, Consultant, Acute Medicine, Western General Hospital, NHS Lothian 5 years ago
We are preparing to make a change
Claire Gordon
Consultant, Acute Medicine, Western General Hospital,
NHS Lothian

Submitted on 04/10/2018 at 13:40
Published on Care Opinion at 14:15

picture of Claire Gordon

I'm really sorry to read about this. I feel upset about this and I can only imagine how you were feeling. I apologise for the length of time taken for your Mum to see a nurse and subsequently a doctor. On busy days we do struggle with this, particularly if a lot of patients arrive in quick succession and we are trying hard to improve this.

I am very saddened to hear about the manner of the medical staff and language used. I would like to look into this matter further, if you would allow, and would ask that you contact me directly (see below) to share your mother's details so I can investigate this further and feedback the distress caused and discuss the situation.

With regards the availability of hot drinks in the evening - we have repeatedly raised this as an issue but have yet to find a solution that is acceptable to all staff in the department. Thank you for raising it again as it gives us further momentum to try to change things.

I realise how difficult it can be to share negative experiences like this and I do appreciate the time taken to do so. I know these words can sometimes seem a bit standard, but I am (and I'm sure the whole team will be) disappontined that this happened and would like to do what I can to make things better in the future.

I am glad your mum's experience was better once she was admitted.

Please do get in touch. My email address is Claire.gordon@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

My apologies once again, and kind regards,

Claire

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Response from Jeannette Morrison, Head of Patient Experience, NHS Lothian 5 years ago
Jeannette Morrison
Head of Patient Experience,
NHS Lothian

Submitted on 04/10/2018 at 14:28
Published on Care Opinion at 15:29

Dear aprilfw46

Thank you for sharing with us your feedback following your experiences whilst attending the Medical Assessment Unit with your mum. Like, Claire I was so very sorry to read what happened, it sounds as though this was really difficult for you both.

I can see that Claire has responded and I too would like to offer to speak with you and will be back in the office next week. My telephone number is 0131 536 3370 or I can be contacted by email Feedback@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

I was pleased to read that your mum was well cared for in MAU base ward and l do hope that she is recovering well.

Kind regards

Jeannette

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