29 April - NHS envy of the world? Not when run by Barts Health NHS Trust
It seems that the East Ham visits will have to be lengthy and daily in the
short term at least so there is little chance of Bexley Blogging. Regular
readers may wish to give these hospital bulletins a miss but they are placed
here to create a permanent record of the incompetence of the management and
medical staff of Newham University Hospital all the way down to ward staff
including the Sister who I would describe as callous.
When
24 syringes were delivered by courier without instructions a phone call to the hospital revealed that
a District Nurse would visit on Saturday and Sunday. None did.
This morning (Monday) the receptionist at the General Practitioner’s surgery
provided a phone number for the District Nurse. A quick call revealed that he
already had his instructions from Newham Hospital and would be visiting quite soon.
He administered the injection but no one had told him there was a leg wound to
be dressed. Perhaps worse is that the discharge notes told him that two
injections were required but only one type had been supplied. To cut a long
story short I collected the missing syringes this afternoon and the District
Nurse returned this evening to do the necessary.
The Nurse wanted to know where the physiotherapists were and I explained that
none had been seen since before Easter. Maybe as a result my aunt’s foot is now
bent inwards by about 30 degrees. She cannot lift it and is in constant pain
except when lying in bed. Because of that she went back to bed
mid-morning today and slept for five hours.
The District Nurse said a commode should have been supplied as although the
old lady has twice shuffled to the toilet in the middle of the night she
cannot get off it, it is too low. No Occupation Health house inspection has been
carried out, hence the commode problem and the failure to address the landing step issue.
He was concerned about bed sores now that the patient has been kicked out of a
vibrating hospital bed far too early. He said it was a clear case of “a failed discharge”
by Newham Hospital and went on to say there are far too many of them. He would
make an appropriate complaint and request the missing items.
Social Services should have been advised to arrange rehabilitation. Absolutely
none of those things have been done. The ward Sister told me last Wednesday that
my aunt had been “passed as fit by all the professionals” and ready to be left
to live alone as before the leg break. Total nonsense.
If I discover the Sister’s name I will add it to this report but presumably the policy is
set by Discharge Consultant Charlotte Pratt, GMC Number 3083318.
Within the last few minutes my aunt’s GP has emailed his apologies and also uses
the phrase “failed discharge”. He is going to raise his concerns with the
Clinical Commissioning Group. Meanwhile the family is having to pay for almost
constant attendance to cover Tony Halton’s failure.
Related blogs
25 April 2019. •
27 April 2019. •
29 April 2019. •
2 May 2019. •
3 May 2019 1st part. •
3 May 2019 2nd part. •
6 May 2019 1st part. •
6 May 2019 2nd part. •
7 May 2019. •
8 May 2019. •
9 May 2019. •
10 May 2019. •
11 May 2019. •
18 May 2019.
The Omnibus Edition.