Brief history-Mum was diagnosed with AZ in 2003, now classed as severe, doubly incontinent, no speech, totally immobile, has to be hand fed and no recognization of anybody, including myself, her son.
Anyway, myself and my wife had a phone call from mum's Care Home approx 7.30pm last Wednesday saying they had been in touch with the Doctor as mum had been vomiting all day especially after food and the Doctor then arranged for a ambulance which turned up at 9pm.
We followed the ambulance to A&E (which was in a main teaching hospital in north west England) and when we arrived at 9.15, it was full. We were at the back of a long line of patients in a corridor. Eventually we got into the assessment room where mum was put on a saline drip with antibiotics and transferred to another room within A&E about 11.30. At this point we were told that mum would probably be admitted for observation but they would wait for a Doctor to see her. I remember saying to two separate A&E staff that if mum stays in she will need help with feeding.
The Doctor arrived at 3.15am said that mum would be staying in and a ward would be found for her shortly.
By now, mum was fast asleep so we left her assured that she would be on a ward soon. I remember making a point to the Doctor that mum was not able to feed herself and will need help, to which I received a abrupt reply 'Yes, it's in her notes'.
My wife rang A&E early the following morning and was told they where still waiting for a available bed in a ward. Two more phone calls around lunch time proved fruitless as the phone was permanently engaged. I then finished work early at 2pm and went straight to the hospital. I found mum in the same A&E room that we had left her in 14 hours before but what really annoyed me was that there was an uneaten sandwich and a stone cold cup of tea at the side of her bed left within arms reach. The bread of which had now began to go hard. I appreciate A&E staff are hard worked but surely, I had told three people that mum would need help with feeding and it was in her notes.
Amazingly, within 10 mins of me arriving they came to move mum to a ward. What an amazing coincidence. Makes me wonder if I had not turned up, how long would mum have been there?
Anyway, for the next 48 hours mum received what I can only describe as excellent care in the ward. We were kept fully informed, she had help with feeding, toileting and turned every two hours. Excellent care.
But then, for some unknown reason she was moved to another ward were standards fell short again. Notes of what she ate were not kept. When visiting on the first night on this ward she was still on the saline drip and whilst we were there an alarm went off in her room but no-one came. It was then that we noticed her wrist was swelling enormously. I went and found a nurse who said the 'needle had gone into tissue'. What on earth would have happened if we had not been there?
Then last night when we were visiting a nurse came into the room and said 'Hello Doris' to my mum. We corrected her and said my mums name is Mary. The nurse then said 'Oh sorry, the Doctor has put someone else's notes in your mums file'.
The nurse then left the room.
Again, if we had not been there could she have potentially been given incorrect medication?
Finally, this morning I had a phone call from the hospital saying an ambulance had been booked for 2pm as my mum was being discharged back to the Care Home. We went to the Care Home at 3pm and they said she had not arrived yet but they had a phone call from the physio department at the hospital asking if mum was mobile or not.
She has needed a hoist for the last five years!!!!!!
Care Home said they would ring me when mum arrived. Nothing heard by 6.30pm so we went back to the hospital and on arrival at the ward we found out that she had left 10 mins previous but out of interest I asked what she had to eat during the day. For breakfast she had a cup of tea and a quarter of a weetabix!!!! They could not tell us about lunch and tea as no notes had been made.
Am I glad she is back in the care home where I know she will be looked after properly.
Sorry it is such a long thread but does anyone think it is worth putting in a complaint about the standard of care especially about the feeding aspect in A&E and the incorrect notes in mums file on the ward?
Is my experience now a common occurrence in hospitals dealing with patients with severe Alzheimer's?
Regards
Ken.
Anyway, myself and my wife had a phone call from mum's Care Home approx 7.30pm last Wednesday saying they had been in touch with the Doctor as mum had been vomiting all day especially after food and the Doctor then arranged for a ambulance which turned up at 9pm.
We followed the ambulance to A&E (which was in a main teaching hospital in north west England) and when we arrived at 9.15, it was full. We were at the back of a long line of patients in a corridor. Eventually we got into the assessment room where mum was put on a saline drip with antibiotics and transferred to another room within A&E about 11.30. At this point we were told that mum would probably be admitted for observation but they would wait for a Doctor to see her. I remember saying to two separate A&E staff that if mum stays in she will need help with feeding.
The Doctor arrived at 3.15am said that mum would be staying in and a ward would be found for her shortly.
By now, mum was fast asleep so we left her assured that she would be on a ward soon. I remember making a point to the Doctor that mum was not able to feed herself and will need help, to which I received a abrupt reply 'Yes, it's in her notes'.
My wife rang A&E early the following morning and was told they where still waiting for a available bed in a ward. Two more phone calls around lunch time proved fruitless as the phone was permanently engaged. I then finished work early at 2pm and went straight to the hospital. I found mum in the same A&E room that we had left her in 14 hours before but what really annoyed me was that there was an uneaten sandwich and a stone cold cup of tea at the side of her bed left within arms reach. The bread of which had now began to go hard. I appreciate A&E staff are hard worked but surely, I had told three people that mum would need help with feeding and it was in her notes.
Amazingly, within 10 mins of me arriving they came to move mum to a ward. What an amazing coincidence. Makes me wonder if I had not turned up, how long would mum have been there?
Anyway, for the next 48 hours mum received what I can only describe as excellent care in the ward. We were kept fully informed, she had help with feeding, toileting and turned every two hours. Excellent care.
But then, for some unknown reason she was moved to another ward were standards fell short again. Notes of what she ate were not kept. When visiting on the first night on this ward she was still on the saline drip and whilst we were there an alarm went off in her room but no-one came. It was then that we noticed her wrist was swelling enormously. I went and found a nurse who said the 'needle had gone into tissue'. What on earth would have happened if we had not been there?
Then last night when we were visiting a nurse came into the room and said 'Hello Doris' to my mum. We corrected her and said my mums name is Mary. The nurse then said 'Oh sorry, the Doctor has put someone else's notes in your mums file'.
The nurse then left the room.
Again, if we had not been there could she have potentially been given incorrect medication?
Finally, this morning I had a phone call from the hospital saying an ambulance had been booked for 2pm as my mum was being discharged back to the Care Home. We went to the Care Home at 3pm and they said she had not arrived yet but they had a phone call from the physio department at the hospital asking if mum was mobile or not.
She has needed a hoist for the last five years!!!!!!
Care Home said they would ring me when mum arrived. Nothing heard by 6.30pm so we went back to the hospital and on arrival at the ward we found out that she had left 10 mins previous but out of interest I asked what she had to eat during the day. For breakfast she had a cup of tea and a quarter of a weetabix!!!! They could not tell us about lunch and tea as no notes had been made.
Am I glad she is back in the care home where I know she will be looked after properly.
Sorry it is such a long thread but does anyone think it is worth putting in a complaint about the standard of care especially about the feeding aspect in A&E and the incorrect notes in mums file on the ward?
Is my experience now a common occurrence in hospitals dealing with patients with severe Alzheimer's?
Regards
Ken.
