"My 92 year old Mother's treatment (3 seperate admissions)"

My Mother who suffers from Dementia and is a resident of a care home in Billingham, was transported and admitted to North Tees hospital in the last week of September by request of her GP due to her severe breathing difficulties, where she underwent assessment and subsequent treatment to improve/stabilize her condition. After nearly 3 weeks in hospital, it was decided to make contact with her care home, to determine whether they would accept her back with the likelyhood that she would require regular O2 and if they would possibly administer this and manage her condition. After agreement, the Hospital returned her to the care home at around 5.00 pm on a Friday without a supply of O2, or event an arrangement for a standby supply. The care home does not hold any stock of O2.

I received a phone call at 2.00 am on the Sunday from the care home informing me that she had been re-admitted to hospital again for breathing difficulties and distress. I arrived at the hospital at the same time as the ambulance and stayed with her while she was again assessed and I left at approximately 8.00 am.

When I went to visit her yesterday at 2.30 pm. I found that her bed was occupied by someone else and after enquiring as to her whereabouts, I was told she had once again been discharged. I complained to the duty charge nurse that I should have been informed of her pending discharge and the C/Nurse apologised and admitted it was her fault for not calling me beforehand.

I located my Mother, her still waiting in the discharge room where she had been since 12.30 pm and unaccompanied. It was 5.00 pm before she arrived back at the care home in a distressed state and again finding it difficult to breath, so much so that the care home decided to call for an ambulance and she was re-admitted to hospital again at 8.00 pm the same evening. I accompanied her there where she was once again assessed and given treatment for her breathing. I stayed until 2.00 am, until after she was stabilised. I will make a formal complaint about the maltreatment of my elderly mother. There has been a lot of bad press recently regarding elderly patient treatment in hospitals and it would seem that lessons still need to be learned.