"Awful,frustrating,upsetting."

What I liked

The Ambulance crew who carried my Grandma to A&E and the staff working on A&E Christmas Eve 2010.

What could be improved

Lots of things can be improved on ward 10.The main problem I encountered was the fact that family members are not kept up todate with the patients progress at all.There was such a shortage of staff on ward 10 over Christmas,on Christmas Day there were 2 trained nurses looking after 15 patients.Most of these patients were elderly and I was witness to a woman with a hip replacement asking for a commode and having to wait so long she had wet the bed by the time they had got to her.About an hour later it happened again!The 2 young nurses did keep their patience even though they were very over worked and so under-staffed I was told (by another nurse) that this was normal practice on ward 10 and that it didn't have a good reputation regarding patient care.

Anything else?

My Grandma was admitted onto ward 10 after having a partial hip replacement on boxing day 2010.I have been so appalled by the treatment my Grandma has recieved whilst being on the ward.2 days after the operation she became confused and one nurse would say one thing,another nurse would say another.Nothing was consistent.There was such a lot of changeovers going on regarding the staff family members didn't know who to turn to.The nurses were that busy you felt like you were imposing on them asking questions.I was told by the ward manager that my Grandma had "taken a tumble" out of bed at 3am one morning.Another day I visited her leg was bandaged from knee to ankle I was told her toe nail must have caught her leg and had taken some skin off!!.She had a urine bag fitted for a couple of days I asked the nurse if they were going to take a sample to check for infection (due to her confusion) she said she would take one at 6pm.When I got to my Grandmas bed her bag had been removed and she was wearing "a nappy!".I went back to the nurse and said she didnt have a bag on and she seemed shocked then another nurse said oh yes we have taken it off because she pulled it out!! Eventually they did get a sample and it showed an infection it took them 5 days to start my Grandma on antibiotics.Thankfully her confusion has now cleared but she has had trouble passing urine they have drained her bladder 3 times getting a 1000ml each time! Again they have fitted a bag and today it was just laid on the bed next to my Grandmas feet.I asked if this was correct due to hygeine and the nurse said yes its fine it wouldn't reach to the cradle on the floor!! I cannot wait until she can leave this ward it is terrible.My Grandma has told me how the staff treat the patients but I cannot prove it because of her confusion although a younger patient on the ward has put in a complaint.2010Hip replacementInfectionsWardNursing staffComplaintsAntibioticsAmbulanceStaffing LevelPatient care