The post you are reporting:
An update on my Father in Law, Wally.
Thanks for all your advice on Asbestos claims, we decided on Thompsons and they are very efficient kind and helpful, the only difficulty we will have is proving negligence, he worked for several years at several power stations removing blue asbestos from pipes but that's not enough proof in itself.
I now have to ask for advice on the best way to complain about bad Hospital treatment.
Wally had his first chemo and suffered badly from it, catching pneumonia and a week ago whilst he was in QEQM I was told to gather the family to say goodbye. However he responded well to the drugs and beat the infection. For the last 5 days they have been desperate to discharge him because, in their words, they have cured his pneumonia therefore he should go home. One nurse complained that she had tried to get him to eat something as they wanted to get him of the drip as quick as possible and accused him of being stroppy and difficult. When I asked her, could it be his cancerous tumour that is growing on his lungs and blocking his food pipe, be the reason for him not eating? She replied "what cancer"?
I have a list of things that I wish to complain about but what has happened today, I am sure you will not believe.
The OT last week, advised us that his bed would arrive this morning, so I informed the ward when it arrived, I was told that he was ready to be sent home and they would discharge him straight away, we were told last week that he would come home with a care package, so I was not expecting him home until that was in place, the nurse said there was no care plan needed and he was being sent home and I was asked to go and get him. Because I was worried about his discharge and his frailty, I asked for an ambulance to bring him home, "yer i suppose so" was the answer.
That was 10 am, at 2pm i rang to find out if he was on his way home, I was told "no, we sent him down the discharge lounge around 12 but i know he's still there cos i got is prescription ere in front of me, so it'll be a while yet"
At 4 pm I received a distressing call from the nurse in the discharge lounge who had been looking after Wally and been taking his obs. She had noted his blood oxygen levels were low and the paramedic who had turned up to pick him up said he was not well and should not be going home. She called the ward to inform them and she was told not to bring him back, send him home and tell his family to phone a doctor. She was furious and upset and when she was told his ambulance was not arriving till 7.30 tonight because she had to send the other one away because they still had not received his prescription, she got my phone number of his records and almost begged me to go and pick him up and get him home so that we could get a doctor to see him. She also begged me to make a complaint and could not care if she got into trouble for telling me to.
We rushed over and got him, he was in a terrible state with cuts all over his arms and he had no underpants on, although he had 4 clean pairs in his bag and he had wet himself, I asked the nurse, how he got his cuts and she did not know, they were there when they brought him down, she said I have since found out from him, that he fell over but can't remember how or where. He was in a great deal of pain because he cannot sit for long as he has disc problems but he refused the nurse's offer of a bed because he was frightened he would have to stay and not go home.
I did tell the Doctor that came round to him what had happened but I'm not sure that he believed me but he did confirm that Wally's oxygen levels were low and he should not have been discharged. He even wanted him to go back into hospital but Wally got upset, so the plan is now to get the Macmillan nurses in tomorrow.
I don't want to get people into trouble but I am not going to let this go.
