Tuesday 19 January 2010

hospital stay.

Been a while since I've written here , proves I suppose I'm not really a blogger or diary keeper however sometimes something happens and well it just has to be written down. In this case if it hadn't happened in my sight/hearing I'd have not believed it.

It all started Thursday afternoon when a patient and doctor decided that a stay in hospital would be the best thing
The ambulance was arranged to take the patient to Colchester EAU to assess and decide what best to do. It was said the ambulance would be a good couple of hours from 2pm , to me meant the trip would happen between 4 and 5pm An ambulance crew came to assess the information just after 2pm and it was decided to wait for the second ambulance. Traffic and other things meant it didn't arrive until 6pm. The first ambulance waiting outside the house for all that time.

Let the nightmare begin normally when the patient went by ambulance to appointments he was left to sit in a secured wheelchair in the back, but for some reason this time the ambulance man in charge said that wasn't safe he had to get on one of those stretcher beds. This caused the patient much suffering and distress. Distress he shouldn't have been given considering one of the illness he has is an AAA (Abdominal aorta aneurysm) 6cm in size.
Approx 30 mins later he was settled but uncomfortable the 15 mile journey began.
On arrival at Colchester General hospital the nursing staff were expecting him and a bay was ready. He was put on the assessment bed well pushed and pulled would be a better description. He ended up half lying so not able to breath properly, the very large hernia was bent double under his body giving him excruciating pain when asked if he could move he was told in a minute when a chair has been found. In the end the ambulance man gave up and allowed the patient to stand giving him some relief. He had to lean on the back of a chair as there were none suitable for him to sit on, even the wheelchair that was brought in was inadequate. The patient was on oxygen for his breathing, he suffers from COPD. Having to wait as there were a few emergencies going on he went and sat on the visitors bench as it was more comfy. A portable oxygen bottle was asked for after a while, a nurse said she'd go and find one. She was never seen again.
Eventually one was brought over and the wait continued. It was nearly midnight before there was an available doctor. Who after examination decided a chest xray was needed and a transfer to Layer Marney ward.
On arrival at the ward there was no bed that was suitable available, nor was there a reclining chair. The patient was left to sit in a visitors chair all night!!! Not surprisingly he fell out forwards when he fell asleep. banging and marking his head on the floor. It took a while for the night staff to go to him and it was another 3 hours before he was picked up from the floor. To again be put in the same visitors chair.

In fact it took until 9.30pm Friday night for a suitable reclining chair to arrive, as it was medicine round time then it was gone 11.30pm before the patient was settled for the night. That was with the visitor who stayed with the patient moving furniture and sorting the chair to a position in the ward. Waiting for the over worked staff would have been another hour at least.

I'd love to know who was supposed to be sorting out the sleeping arrangements for patients, it wasn't as if it was a 999 call admittance it was one via a doctor the hospital told at 2pm and nothing suitable to sleep on until 31/32 hrs. later.

To put the icing on the cake, the norovirus is still in the hospital and the patient contracted it today.

1 comment:

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