"Frustration over referral"

My mum had a heart attack and ended up coming from Ayrshire to Lanarkshire. Hairmyres CCU treated my mum and her five days stay was faultless. During her stay a few things changed from day to day ie what pathway she was to go down ie by-pass or more stents. As a patient she listened to what she was being told and as a family receiving updates we also listen to what was being said.

Following discharge the fab care ended. By that I am not criticising her GP or local surgery staff. Due to myself and my brother going away on holiday the end of September I called Hairmyres two weeks post discharge to ask if any appointment dates had been scheduled as a plan would need to be put in place while her children who will look after her were on holiday.

During this cold and abrupt phone call I asked if my mum had an appointment date. I was told abruptly it wasn't them I should be calling it should be Ayr Hospital who would make the referral as my mum stayed in Ayrshire. When coming off the phone I did think this was strange as my mum didn't stay in an Ayrshire Hospital, her total stay was in Hairmyres CCU for 5 days!

However, I went on and called Ayr Hospital. I was greeted with a nice person on the phone who took details and said I am sorry I have no record of your mum having a heart attack and being referred to the Golden Jubilee. The person I spoke to offered to email Hairmyres and ask if the doctor remembered my mum during the weekend in Hairmyres. My mum was under had stents insterted there and this member of staff said if you call me back in a couple of days I will see if I have more information - this was night and day compared to the person I spoke to at Hairmyres!

My next step all on the same day was to call the Golden Jubilee (all these phone calls were one after the other so you can imagine my frustration by now). I spoke to the scheduler for Cardio within the Jubilee who confirmed that no referral had been made to the Golden Jubilee.

A few days later I spoke to the secretary at Ayr Hospital again and she confirmed that the doctor did remember my mum and didnt know why a referral hadn't been made my Hairmyres. The member of staff went on to say they had liaised with Hairmyres and asked for a copy of all paperwork re discharge. This conversation took place on a Friday hence the member of staff saying I will make the referral on Monday as I will have all the paperwork and so on.

Today I decided to follow up on this - I called the helpful secretary to be told that Hairmyres eventually made the referral from a Doctor (dont know who he is) and my mum had been referred to the Jubilee.

Once you read this you can please let me know what is wrong with this story and why this has to be highlight to the relevant people involved within NHS Lanarkshire.