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Unprofessional - and worrying.

Story from nhs.uk

"Unprofessional - and worrying."

About: Royal Lancaster Infirmary

What I liked

The nurse who provided the triage for my daughter was polite.

What could be improved

The waiting area was dirty and had a neglected feel.

Anything else?

My daughter had a suspected broken ankle in April. Whilst waiting outside the x-ray department a patient was brought down - presumably from a ward since he was wearing a gown - who was clearly in considerable pain, and clutching a vomit bowl. Despite being grey and retching in pain, he was abandoned outside the doors of the x-ray rooms for over 20 minutes with no staff within sight or earshot to support him. no-one came to monitor his condition whist waiting. Eventually a radiographer came out and pulled his trolley in.

This was humiliating and distressing for him, and upsetting for those also waiting for assessment.

I know there are staff shortages, but where was "care" and "patient dignity" in all this? The patient was too unwell to complain, but all those present were distressed on his behalf.

Frankly appalling standards, with a total absence of supervision.

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Responses

Response from Royal Lancaster Infirmary 12 years ago
Royal Lancaster Infirmary

Submitted on 24/04/2012 at 10:42
Published on nhs.uk on 25/04/2012 at 04:01

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and taking the trouble to raise your concerns about patient care in our Emergency/x-ray department. A copy of your comments has been passed onto relevant staff including the Director of Nursing and the Medical Director. Whilst it is our established practice that patients who are unwell receive a nurse escort, we have also alerted the departments concerned and reiterated that vulnerable patients should be supervised appropriately.

We take all comments about our services seriously and we would like to investigate this matter further. We would therefore be grateful if you could please contact our Customer Service Manager so that we can discuss your concerns in greater detail. They can be contacted via our Customer Care helpline on 01539 716 623.

Should you wish to make a complaint then you can do so by writing to our Chief Executive at: Trust Headquarters, Westmorland General Hospital, Burton Road, Kendal, LA9 7RG. The Complaints Team and the Chief Executive can be contacted at the address indicated above or by ringing 01539 795 332. More information can be found on our website: http://www.uhmb.nhs.uk

We place great value in the fact that local people continue to choose our hospitals and we openly encourage patients and visitors to give us their feedback. This will enable us to continually improve the services we offer and the experience our patients have whilst in our hospitals.

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