Just to update this thread with the disasters which have befallen poor dad as he is in hospital with dementia. Discharge happened all of a sudden - discharge nurse unaware it had been arranged, dementia nurse unaware, ward manager unaware … currently it appears a member of staff had taken it upon themselves to initiate booking of transport etc after a visit from the care home concluded that he could return there. (MDT meeting has concluded for over a week that he was 'medically fit' but needed to get his back pain managed before discharge). My sis was with dad for 1.5 hours before a wheelchair arrived to take him home, in cotton pjs, in about 2 degrees. Sis said wait I've got some clothes and a coat in the car. Dementia nurse, who was on hand, sent sis away as she could see she was about to explode, and dressed dad. As sis drove to carehome, ward manager phoned to apologise for cock up and said she had been 'shellshocked' to hear of the discharge. Dad arrived a few mins after sis with a dangling catheter and no stand. Sis had to go to work for an hour (teacher with a private pupil), within 5 mins of her going dad had ripped the catheter out as he obvs didn't know it was in (5 second memory span). District nurse called. Couldn't find all of catheter so sis called back to take dad to A&E, where he was finally readmitted to hospital at 2.30am. It now transpires he has 14cm of catheter tube stuck in his bladder and will now have to undergo surgery to remove. ALL BECAUSE THEY CLEARLY HAVEN'T FOLLOWED PROCEDURES AND HAVEN'T BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH CARER, WHO WAS SITTING IN WARD WITH DAD AT THE TIME DISCHARGE WAS BEING ORGANISED!
Sorry for caps, I'm furious. Another day has passed and they're discharging him again. Now they have failed to add his painkilling patches to his prescription (it took them 2.5 weeks in hospital to get his pain from fractured spine under control, which was why he was in so long and its being resolved was the only reason he could be discharged).
Is it me? Or is the NHS broken? The individuals are all (most) lovely and seem to care, but their understanding of dementia seems to lead to money being spent on a 'memory corridor' outside the ward (I kid you not) rather than providing training for staff to understand the condition and that dementia patients often need their 'translators', i.e. family or carers, to be there for them. The patients on dad's ward couldn't move or communicate, let alone get out of bed and look at some jolly old pictures of wartime Blighty. This series of cockups (and there were more I haven't bothered to mention here) could all have been avoided if they followed procedures and actually allowed the family who have POA to be present when doctors visit and decisions are made. I appreciate not all dementia patients have available family, but my dad has two daughters, both who've given up work to care for the parents as it was interfering with our jobs too much, and who can cover 24/7 if absolutely necessary (though clearly not desirable!).
Aggghhhhhhhh!
Rant over. Sorry.