"Attacked by another patient during my stay on the stroke ward"

Dear click992, thank you for taking the time and trouble to post your comments on the Patient Opinion web site.

Firstly we are very sorry to hear of this experience and recognise the impact that it clearly had on yourself. We would be very keen to be able to understand more about what happened so that we can put in place even more stringent measures to support the safety of all patients.

If you would feel able to contact us via 01709 424461 or complaints@rothgen.nhs.uk then we would be very grateful.

With best wishes,

Grace

Dear click992

We saw your post about your experience on the stroke unit at Rotherham Hospital and it sounds as though you are very upset about the incident. This is completely understandable and it sounds like it was very frightening for you. It is really positive to hear that the rest of your experience on the stroke unit was good, but I hope that I can provide some information about how you might be able to resolve the problem about the incident which occurred, as well as providing some information about the Stroke Association and the other ways in which we might be able to help you.

It seems as though the hospital are working to try to resolve this issue for you, however, if you feel that you have been let down by the NHS and that you did not receive the appropriate levels of care, you could make a complaint. It is really important to raise your concerns to the NHS so that they can improve their services and resolve problems. It might be helpful to speak to the Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS) about the incident and how to complain. PALS provide confidential support and help to resolve problems and concerns with the health service. The contact details for your local PALS office are as below:

PALS Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust

Telephone: 0800 9531303 / 01709 307646

PALS are part of the NHS, but if you wished to complain with the assistance of an independent body you could contact ICAS, an advocacy service for people who wish to make a complaint about health and social care.

http://www.carersfederation.co.uk/icas/

At the Stroke Association we have support workers across the UK, providing information, advice and support to people affected by stroke. Our services are funded by PCTs or social services and we receive referrals from hospitals, social services, friends and family and self-referrals; this helps us to support people affected by stroke from the moment of diagnosis. Please contact our helpline if you think this service may be beneficial for you - the Stroke Helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm on 0303 30 33 100. Sadly, not all areas provide funding for these services so we also campaign to raise awareness about stroke, demonstrating the need for our services, and encourage people to understand more about the long term effects of stroke.

Our current campaigns include the Life after Stroke campaign, which challenges some of the barriers to recovery, such as social care, benefits, NHS care and rehabilitation. We are also involved in campaigns against cuts to benefits and services, and we produce Stroke Care Reports which highlight positive and negative aspects of local stroke services. You may wish to join our campaign - this can be done on our website:

http://www.stroke.org.uk/campaigns/the_campaigners_network/index.html

I hope this is helpful. If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything further, please do not hesitate to contact us again. Please note you can download our full range of leaflets and factsheets free of charge from our website http://www.stroke.org.uk

Yours sincerely

Stroke Information Service