"The lack of information given to relatives"

My mother in law has gone from Christies Hospital to a care home and now she is in Bolton hospital. This has all happened within the last week. As her daughter in law I am down as a contact for information regarding my mother in laws health. When I rang Christies they informed me that, and I quote, "she had had a settled night, and was asleep". I took them at their word. She was discharged to a care home and upon ringing the next morning I was informed, and again I quote, "she has had a settled night and is asleep". My husband arrived there the same day having taken 4 hours to get there. He was informed she was very poorly and had been taken to Bolton hospital.

That was two days ago. He came home last night and told me that mum was extremely ill. When he rang this morning they told him and again I do not lie and found it incredulous, "she has had a settled night". He did not accept their answer and eventually got told that the doctor was completing his rounds. At which my husband replied he would ring back later.

What does it take for a nurse to tell you the truth. How do they think we feel as relatives when we find that not all is as well as they have led us to believe. If it were their mother, father or child and they could not be there for what ever reason do you think they would be grateful for being mislead. My husband had been to see his mother on Christmas day and had been assured that she was doing Ok. We believe she was sent to Bolton because obviously her care wasn't up to scratch as she was dehydrated again. That should have been avoided.

Should he ring back and be told she is settled, we could not even if we wanted to ever believe anything any nurse ever told us again. Our mother is not capable of telling us how she is as she is phasing in and out of consciousness.