"We were not given any aftercare guide"

My Mum had a fall at home resulting in a bruised head and side and a cut hand. We went to A and E and she was seen quickly by the triage nurse. She was taken through to the A&E ward and after some time was seen by a doctor.

The doctor was pleasant in manner but somewhat haphazard and not well planned out, when looking at the cut hand. They felt around the cut (which was bleeding) causing an increased flow of blood which I caught in my hands in order to save my Mum's clothing. There was no protective covering put underneath her hand.  She was wheeled over to the sink and her hand put under a tap with a strong flow of water. She flinched away from this as it felt hot and sore, which I voiced.  The doctor then went for an anaesthetic to inject her hand several times around the cut then washed it again under the tap. A pad was placed on top of the cut and her arm raised onto a surface within the cubicle, above where she was sitting. They said that they needed to decide whether to suture or glue the hand then left. After 20 minutes I told my Mum to put her hand on her lap as it was getting uncomfortable.  An hour passed and I queried whether someone was coming to treat the cut. I was told by one of the nurses that a handover was taking place hence the delay. 

The doctor returned and had decided to glue the cut. The hand still had dried blood on it and was not cleaned again. The doctor told us that a CT scan which had been spoken about probably wouldn't happen but he was assessing whether my Mum needed to stay for observation or whether she could go home. I informed him that my Mum lived with my husband and myself and that going home would be preferable if that was possible. Once again they left and another hour passed. 

Eventually I approached the doctors' station to ask whether a decision had been made.

I would say they were not pleased to be asked.

A few minutes later we were told that a CT scan would not be necessary and that we could return home, and if there was any deterioration to get back in touch.  We were not given any care guide, link or QR code at that time.

We left the ward and it was only then I realised I had been given no instruction as to the care of Mum's cut hand. 

I caught the nurse who had seen my mum first and was told to keep the wound dry for a few days and if there was anything untoward to get in touch or contact our GP.

When we returned home I cleaned up my Mum's hand and arm.

Can I say I wasn't impressed with the doctor's wound care nor the communication. We have had a previous occasions when my Mum has received treatment and I have never seen cuts dealt with so erratically.  I realise that this can be a hectic area (although I heard the staff saying that this was not the case that night.) I certainly didn't expect to be dealt with immediately; but the communication could definitely be improved (letting us know that there was a handover which would cause a delay for example.)  

I have had cause to praise my Mum's care in hospital in the past but unfortunately not this time. I hope these comments will cause change to improve patient care in the future.