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Why prolong the pain?

Story from nhs.uk

"Why prolong the pain?"

About: Russells Hall Hospital

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My husband went to the hospital last Saturday and admitted until the following day with severe abdominal pain. He was in ward B4. Whilst he was there on the Saturday blood tests, x-ray and ultrasound scan was carried out at 12 noon. He stayed at the hospital overnight.

On Sunday he was diagnosed with a stone on his gall bladder that is blocking the passage and causing pain. He was vomiting and had fever. When he was seen again the following day a doctor confirmed this and that he would need an operation for the gallstones to be removed. He was told he would have the operation Thursday 28 Feb 2013 prolonging this agony for a few more days. It is really worrying seeing my husband in terrible pain.

They said they would telephone to confirm the details for Thursday. All contact details were left with the Consultant Secretary. Today we had a call confirming the time for the operation for tomorrow. During the first call at 10am we were told to come at 7.30am tomorrow. We received another call at 2.30pm today asking us to come in at 11am instead. At 7.10pm today another call was received from the hospital saying the operation has been cancelled as there is no bed.

The lady I spoke to spoke loudly and rude when I asked her to confirm the reason for the cancellation was due to having no bed. She confirmed it was right.

When I explained my husband was in pain the lady mentioned that so many people are in pain and he will have to wait. She said another letter will come out in 2 weeks time and to wait for the letter.

If they can understand the pain that the patients are suffering why do they have to prolong the agony?

If an operation date is cancelled why not be advised of the actual new date for the operation when they call us instead of us having to wait for a letter in two weeks time?

A suggestion – the staff should be reassuring when telling us bad news and not raise their voice and be rude.

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Responses

Response from Russells Hall Hospital 11 years ago
Russells Hall Hospital

Submitted on 15/03/2013 at 17:18
Published on nhs.uk on 16/03/2013 at 04:15

Thank you for taking the time to post your feedback about our hospital. We are committed to providing the very best possible care for our patients and we would like to assure you and all our patients that we take all comments seriously and act upon them as part of our ongoing commitment to improving patient experience.

We are really sorry to hear about your husband’s experience. It can be very worrying and upsetting to see a loved one in pain. Waiting for surgery under these circumstances can be particularly frustrating, especially if an operation has to be postponed. All efforts should be made to keep patients informed and our staff ought never to be rude or unhelpful. We would like to apologise wholeheartedly for this.

We would welcome the chance to find out why your husband’s surgery has been delayed, and look into the other concerns you have raised. It is difficult to do this without reviewing your husband’s case notes but if you would like us to look into this for you, please get in touch with our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on free phone 0800 073 0510.

In the meantime, your comments have been forwarded to the senior team on ward B4.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Response from The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust 11 years ago
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 15/03/2013 at 19:07
Published on Care Opinion on 16/03/2013 at 12:23

Thank you for taking the time to post your feedback about our hospital. We are committed to providing the very best possible care for our patients and we would like to assure you and all our patients that we take all comments seriously and act upon them as part of our ongoing commitment to improving patient experience.

We are really sorry to hear about your husband’s experience. It can be very worrying and upsetting to see a loved one in pain. Waiting for surgery under these circumstances can be particularly frustrating, especially if an operation has to be postponed. All efforts should be made to keep patients informed and our staff ought never to be rude or unhelpful. We would like to apologise wholeheartedly for this.

We would welcome the chance to find out why your husband’s surgery has been delayed, and look into the other concerns you have raised. It is difficult to do this without reviewing your husband’s case notes but if you would like us to look into this for you, please get in touch with our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on free phone 0800 073 0510.

In the meantime, your comments have been forwarded to the senior team on ward B4.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
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