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Care Opinion

Discharge procedure could be improved

Posted By Big Mac 1

"Discharge procedure could be improved"

About: Grantham & District Hospital

(as the patient),

I spent 12 days in this hospital. The first 10 were on HDU. I was looked after so well. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff. I was then moved to ward 2. This was not such a good experience. I don't eat puddings and never opted for them when choosing my meals however on the second night in ward two the server got stroppy and told me I had ordered pudding and slapped down a bowl of chocolate sponge with custard. I just threw it in the bin. I was worried that if I was seen to have not eaten my desert I would have to stay for even longer and I was not so happy in ward 2. Discharge day was a nightmare. I was told quite early that I was finally getting out but I did not get out until after 5pm. I had rung my wife and said I should be out soon but was kept waiting a further two hours. I think the hospital should tighten up their discharge procedures. I needed to give myself injections and had to be shown how to do them this is what held me up. I was being injected daily so I could have been shown long before my discharge day.

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Responses

Response from United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 7 years ago
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Submitted on 16/06/2016 at 20:50
Published on Care Opinion on 17/06/2016 at 11:03

Dear Big Mac 1

First of all apologies that the experience on ward 2 wasn’t as expected – I will share this with the staff for a learning curve. We rarely receive negative feedback and we have so many thank you cards on our walls and have very few complaints but I will share this at our ward meeting to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Being a patient being on HDU is a different experience as it is one to one nursing as patients are very unwell and need constant nursing support. Unfortunately on the wards we can’t have this as I may have 6 staff for 28 patients which is not an excuse but it is the reality and the staff try really hard with the resources they have. All of our patients have a choice what food they want to eat and I am really sorry that you felt that by not eating your pudding that you may have had to stay with us longer.

Regarding the discharge process, the consultants come round and tell patients they can go home on the morning ward round and patients expect that they will leave almost immediately. What is not always explained by the consultant is that the nursing staff then have to sort tablets, outpatients appointments and district nurses etc which takes additional time. If the consultant had communicated the information more effectively they would have said that you would be leaving once everything had been sorted, realistically it would be the afternoon before you would be able to leave and you would be kept informed so you could contact your wife to collect you.

The teaching of the injections should have been taken on earlier in your care but this will have been delayed by your 10 days on HDU.

I would like to apologise for the 2 days on ward 2 making you feel unhappy and hope that you are now getting on well at home.

Regards

Julie

Julie Record

Ward 2 Sister

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