"My recent admission and discharge on Hasland ward"

I was recently admitted for 3 weeks onto Hasland ward. I had septic arthritis in my left knee joint and it was aspirated and washed out in theatre and then I developed reactive arthritis in my left ankle. Apart from 2 days on HDU I spent my time recovering on Hasland ward.

I would like to say the staff on HDU were absolutely amazing in every way. The staff on Hasland ward were also exceptional. They went above and beyond to make me comfortable and to help me recover. Joe (trainee nurse) Adele (trainee nurse) Vanessa Alyssa and Diane (healthcare assistant) all deserve a mention because they really helped me throughout my stay. Also Jaz a nurse. They helped me when I couldn’t do anything for myself and they helped me gain confidence and independence when I started to recover.

I will be forever grateful to them all for their help and kindness throughout my stay. Everything I needed was provided. I cannot praise the staff highly enough. Because of mobility issues I have been left with I was told by the orthopaedic Dr that I would be given a rehab bed and physio would be provided to get me back on my feet.

Then very suddenly a staff member came into my room and said I was going home that day or the day after. I had had no indication that this was going to happen. I asked them to ring my sister because she is better at communicating than I am and she is a nurse. My sister then spoke a second member of staff who we found was extremely rude and difficult which I think is totally unacceptable as my sister was trying to ensure that it was safe for me to be at home.

I was told that my bedroom furniture needed to be thrown out so that my room would be safe. I also think this is unacceptable because where would I put my clothes? How would I replace furniture when I don’t have enough money even for food shopping. This is the only part of my inpatient stay that caused me considerable distress.

I literally couldn’t think straight because my anxiety was so overwhelming. Thankfully I was given a few extra days in hospital whilst my family moved furniture in my room around so that I could use my Zimmer frame in there. I came home a few days later. On the whole staff and my care were excellent it was just this sudden discharge that caused me to become distressed.