"ward transfer in the middle of the night"

In November, my father was admitted to Ward 18 at Castle Hill Hospital in a great deal of pain and very confused. He is 87 years old and suffers from severe arthritis and other health problems. He was thoroughly tested, and diagnosed with a water infection and a chest infection, which were causing his confusion. He was also very tired.

Ward 18 is an assessment ward and very busy at all hours. My father complained that it was difficult to sleep due to noise.

My father informed me that one night during his stay he he was awoken at around 2.30 am and told to get up. He was not wearing his hearing aid, and the person who woke him was shouting and aggressive. My father was confused and not certain at first where he was. He was told to do as he was told without question. This nurse then grabbed my father and pulled him into a sitting position, with no regard to the pain of his arthritis, and he was taken out of bed and moved to ward 19. He was extremely distressed and phoned family members at 4a.m. to say he was being held against his will. He was still confused due to the infection. I was called to the hospital at 8a.m. and found him calm but very upset.

A nurse on ward 19 told both myself and my father that ward 18 has a policy that patients should not be moved after 10p.m., and that they would look into it. I had earlier spoken to a doctor who apologised for his treatment, although ward 18 is not in their remit.

After treatment, my father was discharged at the beginning of December. There are no complaints about his treatment on ward 19 (although my father reports that the toilets were frequently blocked and the floors dirty).