"Lack of interpersonal skills"

I have just telephoned the hospital to enquire about my mother who was recently admitted. The member of staff who answered the phone and went to ask nursing staff about my mother. On her return she gave me a brief update, which was satisfactory, but when I enquired about a telephone message that had been left on our answer phone asking us to ring the hospital the person on the phone said they didn't know anything about it.

When I asked if she could find out she said it would have been handed over to nursing staff during handover. I remarked that surely it was documented, to which she that she wasn't in handover, and it would have been handed over to the nurses. I told the ward clerk that this service was really not good enough.

The sheer lack of interpersonal skills and inability to find out more information left us feeling anxious and angry. We had no idea why the staff wanted to contact us and as concerned relatives you often fear the worse.