"Incompetance at Nevill Hall Hospital:Brecon Road, Abergavenny, "

Elderly father-in-law admitted with acute breathlessness by ambulance 2.5 weeks ago. On admission found to have lost 2 units of blood and dehydrated. He was already suffering from a serious heart condition and type 2 diabetes.

Following a transfusion, he was placed on a general ward, taken off a heart monitor and placed in a side room. After 2 days his blood pressure was partially restored, but continued to decline gently, despite anti-hypertensive medication being withdrawn. No record was kept of fluids in or out and, despite being diabetic, he was allowed large bars of chocolate and a mars bar. The food served was not checked against food ordered – vital in diabetes.

The ward seemed adequately staffed, but those on duty were in my view too busy chatting to each other, or having meetings, to efficiently monitoring patients. The hospital was using an out of date record chart (filled in sloppily) and the nursing notes were poor. He was left alone, unmonitored, in his side room for long periods, despite having attacks of breathlessness at night. After a week he was moved from to a general bay. Despite his heart condition, no room was ever found for him on the heart ward and no cause or explanation was given as to the original significant loss of blood. The ward, although clean, was littered with tatty notices and felt more like a nursery than professional hospital. The only professional looking notices were from the physiotherapy department. Doctor and nurse communication was awful.

Eventually the cardiology team, having fiddled with his medication, declared him fit to go home, despite the reservations of his relatives. (They had declared him fit with his first heart attack six months earlier, only for him to be re-admitted by ambulance a few days later). No proper assessment of his home circumstances was undertaken.

36 hours after discharge, whilst in the care of his relatives, he suffered a further severe attack of breathlessness and his heart stopped in the ambulance. The crew were marvellous and, on admission to another hospital, he was placed in intensive care and given a blood transfusion to replace further loss of blood. At the time of writing, the other hospital has him being properly monitored and is arranging a transfer to Swansea for decent investigation as to the loss of blood.

Twice in the past six months Neville Hall have discharged the same patient who nearly died days later. I am concerned about what seems from my experience to be a dilapidated and disgracefully run hospital.