"Staffing levels at the weekend"

Admitted via RBS to plastics and stayed on Ward 20. Arrived at 5. 30 pm at A and E At 2100 hrs after sitting in A and E with no information someone finally came to see me. Take to ward 20 at midnight. I had been told not to eat or drink the whole of that day as they were hoping the theatre procedure could happen that evening. I finally had half a sandwich and some water before being starved again for the following day.

At 0800 the next day I was told that I would be taken down in about an hour. At 1000 I was told be the anaesthetist it would be at 1300 hrs. At about 4 pm I was told they didn't have a time for me. The nurses on the ward were not being kept updated in turn neither had I been. It appears there was no communication between staff and certainly none for the patient. I was finally told at about 1900 that after starving and no fluids for two days there was still no procedure that day.

The food left for me had been given to another patient so I went to the canteen and bought a meal.

The day I had the procedure I went down for the proceedure at 0900, back to the ward for 1200. Despite numerous requests from me to the nurses and phone calls from them to see a Dr post Op it is now 2030 and I have seen no-one. I am my mothers main carer at the moment as she is 79 years old and has recently had a hip replacement and lives alone. While I appreciate that is clearly not something the Drs here care about it is my main priority. It is a Saturday and there are not enough staff on Plastics and that is impacting on the patients who are quite frankly being ignored.

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I would like to add the following to the complaint about Wexham Park. I realise it was a Saturday when I finally had my surgery and therefore reduced staffing levels but as my post op notes stated I could go home if well enough then all it would take is for a Dr to attend to discharge me. The Dr was contacted throughout the afternoon and all afternoon I heard and saw nothing. I ended up discharging myself at 2045 hrs and freeing up a bed I did not need because despite the Dr finally saying he/she would turn up within the hour he/she did not. As I was leaving, my lift having been good enough to collect me that late in the evening. The Dr on the phone to the nurse said he/she could be there around 2200 hrs. I saw no reason to believe what was being said to me by the Dr as I had already been let down several times that day. I also believe that discharging someone at 2200 hrs is a terrible time of night, not just for the patient but for any family members.

Sorry but this has really been playing on my mind and I am really not happy about what happened throughout.