"Poor discharge planning and lack of communication"

My parents live in Anglesey. In July of 2013 my Dad had a stroke and was admitted to the stroke ward at the local Bangor Hospital.

The technical care was excellent, but the "young" nursing staff communication skills and basic common sense and person centered care was sadly lacking. The health care assistant was more proactive in this regard.

We were told that my Dad would not be discharged on Thursday as it would not allow time for a care package to be put in place at home. My Mum then met with the just the consultant on the Thursday and was told my Dad was being discharged. I contacted the local health board to ask who was responsible for his care at home as my Mum was struggling. I was told it would be social services, I contacted them and was told they had no record of my Dad. I asked if this could be escalated up to management as the (I assume) jointly worked out discharge process was not working, to be told it was the hospitals fault and make a complaint.

A few days later my Mum was on Facebook saying that everyone was telling her to contact her GP to get help but that she couldn't get an appointment and that a receptionist was so rude and argumentative to my Mum that she had been reduced to tears. I contacted the GP surgery and spoke to the practice manager who was very helpful and later told me the discharge note they recieved from the hospital had made no mention of Dad originally being admitted for a stroke and that this would have been a trigger for a home visit to check all was well.

A couple of days later my Dad was re-admitted with a bladder infection.