My 83 year old mother was transferred from a ward at Durham to RVI on Sunday afternoon. We were initially told she would go straight to,ward and nurses at durham performed a handover by phone. At the last minute they apologised and said we were to go via A & E. Following a very speedy and efficient ambulance transfer we were handed over to the RVI. We were put into a cubicle and then the problems started. I advised the nurse that my mums drip was not running and had been told by Durham that this was ok for duration of transfer as long as restarted ASAP on arrival at RVI. In total I asked four separate staff over a three hour period to deal with this, no one ever did. In fact even when they struggled to get blood, due to dehydration, I was told, it still was not sorted out. My mum was moved out of cubicle into the corridor on a trolley, causing her distress. She was not alone and I counted three other distressed patients on trollies in corridor. There was an elderly lady, on her own, sat in a wheelchair in corridor for over an hour, a young woman on gas and air, surrounded by family, and another elderly lady who looked barely conscious. Eventually my mother was seen by the surgical team from ward 36 , they were excellent , and managed to get things moving. I fail to see, though, why my mother lay on a trolley in a busy unit. If this unit is under so much strain then admitting directly to the ward, as initially advised, would seem to be more efficient. She had emergency surgery to correct her problem and I cannot praise the surgical and nursing staff enough. However as a health care professional in another region, I feel that the working practices for admission from other hospitals to a regional centre should be reviewed.
"Lack of dignity"
About: The Royal Victoria Infirmary The Royal Victoria Infirmary Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 4LP
Posted via nhs.uk
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