How the heck do you get hints?
A Personal Tale of Medical Ethics Etc
- Thread starter Black Hole
- Start date
OP
Black Hole
May contain traces of nut
Red Cross rang me up to follow up on discharge (my mobile number is in J's notes as a means of contact).
D
Deleted member 473
ICE Nobody checked her ICE numbers.
EEPhil
Number 28
Not quite "ethics" but a tale of not being kept informed.
My mother fell in the toilet on Friday and wasn't found until I delivered the shopping (10:15am). Of course, there was no way into the toilet and eventually I had to saw the door off. This was after I'd sent for an ambulance. Lucky I did because it took over three hours to arrive. By then I'd got the door off, couldn't lift her off the floor. She decided to walk on her bum from the toilet to her bedroom despite being told not to. I still couldn't lift her and with various chairs footstools etc. couldn't get her to lift herself up. Ambulance arrives with crew of three (one each paramedic, technician and trainee). They get her onto a chair, do some tests and decide to take her into hospital mumbling about UTI and possible sepsis. Of course with coronavirus I can't go in the ambulance nor, I'm told, can I go to A&E myself either. I'd given all known details to the ambulance crew and yet I get a call from the ED (A&E to me) asking me some of the same questions. Nobody has given me any contact details, so I look up QMC (Nottingham's rather large hospital) on t'net to find the telephone number. Ring the number on the landline (7pm now). First thing is a load of blurb about covid-19. Then get the operator, who transfers me to patient admissions. I'm then told that the patient is in A&E Majors. I'm given the extention number and also transferred to A&E Majors. Oh she's just been transferred to ward D57 (Older persons assessment). But, fortunately, I managed to get some information out of A&E Majors (UTI and cellulitis requiring IV antibiotics) before I was transferred to D57 (and given the extention number). Except I wasn't, after 15 minutes listening to the same "music" repeated, I gave up.
Saturday: Try to ring D57 via landline - except I can't get the system to recognise the extention number from the phone (still managed to get coronavirus blurb) . Switch to mobile and ring D57 again (Coronavirus blurb) and find out what's going off - fine, you'd think.
Today (Sunday): Ring D57 via mobile (Coronavirus blurb) and ask how she's doing. Oh she's been transferred to D51 - I'll transfer you (no extention number given). Phone rings and rings for over 5 minutes. Give up. Go on the net again and look up ward D51. There isn't a ward D51. Ring up admissions via mobile (Coronavirus blurb) and ask them where she is. C51 "I'll transfer you, the extention is 69001, oh, no it isn't it's 69051". Get through to C51 and talk to a nurse who after a lot of quizzing transfered me to the nurse who was dealing. Except this didn't work, the phone just kept on ringing. Then, the landline rings. The nurse I'm being transferred to on the mobile has rung me back on the landline. Apparently there is a fault with their phone. It seems that things are improving and some discussion of discharge will take place tomorrow - when the correct staff (those that can make decisions) are working. Let's see how much phone fun I have tomorrow. Another ward switch? All this and trying to make a repair to the toilet door.
My mother fell in the toilet on Friday and wasn't found until I delivered the shopping (10:15am). Of course, there was no way into the toilet and eventually I had to saw the door off. This was after I'd sent for an ambulance. Lucky I did because it took over three hours to arrive. By then I'd got the door off, couldn't lift her off the floor. She decided to walk on her bum from the toilet to her bedroom despite being told not to. I still couldn't lift her and with various chairs footstools etc. couldn't get her to lift herself up. Ambulance arrives with crew of three (one each paramedic, technician and trainee). They get her onto a chair, do some tests and decide to take her into hospital mumbling about UTI and possible sepsis. Of course with coronavirus I can't go in the ambulance nor, I'm told, can I go to A&E myself either. I'd given all known details to the ambulance crew and yet I get a call from the ED (A&E to me) asking me some of the same questions. Nobody has given me any contact details, so I look up QMC (Nottingham's rather large hospital) on t'net to find the telephone number. Ring the number on the landline (7pm now). First thing is a load of blurb about covid-19. Then get the operator, who transfers me to patient admissions. I'm then told that the patient is in A&E Majors. I'm given the extention number and also transferred to A&E Majors. Oh she's just been transferred to ward D57 (Older persons assessment). But, fortunately, I managed to get some information out of A&E Majors (UTI and cellulitis requiring IV antibiotics) before I was transferred to D57 (and given the extention number). Except I wasn't, after 15 minutes listening to the same "music" repeated, I gave up.
Saturday: Try to ring D57 via landline - except I can't get the system to recognise the extention number from the phone (still managed to get coronavirus blurb) . Switch to mobile and ring D57 again (Coronavirus blurb) and find out what's going off - fine, you'd think.
Today (Sunday): Ring D57 via mobile (Coronavirus blurb) and ask how she's doing. Oh she's been transferred to D51 - I'll transfer you (no extention number given). Phone rings and rings for over 5 minutes. Give up. Go on the net again and look up ward D51. There isn't a ward D51. Ring up admissions via mobile (Coronavirus blurb) and ask them where she is. C51 "I'll transfer you, the extention is 69001, oh, no it isn't it's 69051". Get through to C51 and talk to a nurse who after a lot of quizzing transfered me to the nurse who was dealing. Except this didn't work, the phone just kept on ringing. Then, the landline rings. The nurse I'm being transferred to on the mobile has rung me back on the landline. Apparently there is a fault with their phone. It seems that things are improving and some discussion of discharge will take place tomorrow - when the correct staff (those that can make decisions) are working. Let's see how much phone fun I have tomorrow. Another ward switch? All this and trying to make a repair to the toilet door.
Last edited:
OP
Black Hole
May contain traces of nut
Lengthy discussion about re-hanging a door so it opens outwards transferred to new thread:
OP
Black Hole
May contain traces of nut
Getting back to the original subject: I have now written to J's MP, in response to advice from the Alzheimer's Society who say this could be a breach of human rights.
EEPhil
Number 28
Back to the secondary subject: Hospital experience.
Unfortunately still can't visit and my mother hasn't been allowed home yet. Some multidisciplinary team (MDT) is dragging their feet. They seem to have concerns about her mobility and her memory. One of the few laughs I've had in the last few days is the dreadful telephone system in the hospital. The home landline has an old loop disconnect telephone attached. My tone dialling telephone has sticky keys and has developed a hum. Trying to use loop disconnect with the hospital exchange doesn't work - I end up with the operator. So I use my mobile, and it's cheaper. Imagine my surprise when talking to people in the hospital the dreadful amount of background noise (expected) and noises like pulse dialing on the line. Anyway, gets off the 'phone from one of the MDT members (who rang me), and the telephone rings immediately. Some Indian sounding person asking for some care home. Strangely, I recognised the voice as one of the nurses on the ward. Had a problem convincing her it wasn't a crossed line as I'd hung up. It appears that the nurse had rung the landline, found it engaged, and used the camp-on facility. Clear the call. Wait a minute. Telephone rings again, same nurse. After an extended conversation we find that someone has entered my landline number as a contact (care home) for another patient. The nurse expressed her exasperation with modern technology. I might have agreed - but more likely down to some tired nurse typing the wrong number in the wrong box for the wrong patient.
(NB. If you want to discuss telephone systems - please start another thread.)
Unfortunately still can't visit and my mother hasn't been allowed home yet. Some multidisciplinary team (MDT) is dragging their feet. They seem to have concerns about her mobility and her memory. One of the few laughs I've had in the last few days is the dreadful telephone system in the hospital. The home landline has an old loop disconnect telephone attached. My tone dialling telephone has sticky keys and has developed a hum. Trying to use loop disconnect with the hospital exchange doesn't work - I end up with the operator. So I use my mobile, and it's cheaper. Imagine my surprise when talking to people in the hospital the dreadful amount of background noise (expected) and noises like pulse dialing on the line. Anyway, gets off the 'phone from one of the MDT members (who rang me), and the telephone rings immediately. Some Indian sounding person asking for some care home. Strangely, I recognised the voice as one of the nurses on the ward. Had a problem convincing her it wasn't a crossed line as I'd hung up. It appears that the nurse had rung the landline, found it engaged, and used the camp-on facility. Clear the call. Wait a minute. Telephone rings again, same nurse. After an extended conversation we find that someone has entered my landline number as a contact (care home) for another patient. The nurse expressed her exasperation with modern technology. I might have agreed - but more likely down to some tired nurse typing the wrong number in the wrong box for the wrong patient.
(NB. If you want to discuss telephone systems - please start another thread.)
Last edited:
EEPhil
Number 28
I'm sure most medication is double checked by another nurse. But if they are both tired then what?
OP
Black Hole
May contain traces of nut
You think??
I, on the other hand, know
D
Deleted member 473
A nurse!
You can know what should happen, but not what does happen
You can know what should happen, but not what does happen
MikeSh
Well-Known Member
Is this quantum medicine?
EEPhil
Number 28
I'm uncertain!
EEPhil
Number 28
As you will have gathered from another thread my mother came out of hospital having tested positive for covid-19 but not showing any symptoms. She was not the same person as went into hospital. Having now been re-admitted (a failed discharge), I found she was on one ward this morning. "Call back later when the doctor's been round". So I did. "Oh they've moved her [from QMC] to the City Hospital - Beeston Ward". Had to check the website to find the telephone number of the City Hospital and the extension number of the ward. The 
's like to panic you. The map has the ward as a stroke ward. Turns out the stroke ward is at QMC and this ward is a covid ward. Not sure if they are trying to tell me that she has symptoms or that she's there because she tested positive. Still, having had a failed discharge from QMC, the City may be better. 
(How long before the medical compensation lawyers are on my back?)
's like to panic you. The map has the ward as a stroke ward. Turns out the stroke ward is at QMC and this ward is a covid ward. Not sure if they are trying to tell me that she has symptoms or that she's there because she tested positive. Still, having had a failed discharge from QMC, the City may be better. (How long before the medical compensation lawyers are on my back?)
D
Deleted member 473
That is disgraceful, they need to keep next of kin constantly informed, at least about her whereabouts.
EEPhil
Number 28
Nope! Treated like mushrooms, kept in the dark and fed on bull
.I'm working on a complaint!
EEPhil
Number 28
I'm getting fed up with wandering around (inside of course, I'm not allowed out until the 27th) with two 'phones. That's 3 calls I've had this morning - and two of them at the same time. (Make that 4 calls! Oh, correction 5.)
I found a place to start a complaint, clicked on the email button, my mail program started, I typed in a short version of the problem, clicked send - and the damned program exited without sending.
(Make that 4 calls! Oh, correction 5.)I found a place to start a complaint, clicked on the email button, my mail program started, I typed in a short version of the problem, clicked send - and the damned program exited without sending.
