"The hospitals do not seem to be joining the dots "

My friend was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 8 years ago and has been on medication for a long time. She is very strong and resourceful, is an ambassador for Parkinson’s UK and has spoken to neuroscientists and care givers to improve their understanding of how the condition affects sufferers. She plays tennis and swims, learning tips and techniques to enable her to do so.

In recent times she has had numerous falls which do not seem to be consistent with trips she has due to her Parkinson’s. Following a fall she was hospitalized at the Good Hope Hospital, planned EEG and MRI scans were brought forward but did not show what was causing her falls.

My husband and I are concerned that her condition is failing, when we spoke to her recently it sounded like mini-strokes that she was experiencing.

More concerning is that she had yet another fall when she was hospitalized, again at the Good Hope. A mutual friend informed me that my friend had been discharged but not before she was found wandering outside the hospital in her night dress in a very confused state, claiming she was going home.

Why did the Good Hope Hospital not transfer her to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she is generally seen by her specialists? My friend’s condition seems to have deteriorated to a degree where she is unable to voice this herself. Her sister, who generally looks after her is currently recovering from an illness herself and is therefore unable to deal with these concerns.

The hospitals do not seem to be joining the dots and referring her to her specialists.