"Great care while there, neglected when discharged."

What I liked

I visited this hosiptal numerous times over Christmas and new year visiting my sister who was recovering after a pelvic operation following a car crash. She was staying on Ward 14 and I have to say that compared to the care given at Blackburn Infirmary and the Royal Albert Infirmary in Wigan, all the doctors, nurses and physios was mostly first class.

After waiting for three weeks at Wigan for the nurses to do something about my sister's bowel movements (she hadn't gone to the toilet since she was admitted), the nurses at Preston took care of it immediately and were horrified Wigan hadn't noticed this could be very serious.

The physio was attentive and very skilled and visted my sister often. The Occupational Therapist was also very good.

What could be improved

When she was discharged, my sister was taken home in a taxi.

Bearing in mind her hips are even now still held stiffly together by bars which protrude out of her stomach, she cannot put any weight on her left leg and only 50% weight on her right leg, I can't believe hospital staff would send her home in a taxi!!

The driver had to help us lift her wheelchair up the two front steps to my mum's house (my sister is very big boned so this was no mean feat), and even then we couldn't manage it, so my sister had to get out of her wheelchair and literally hop to the living room. she was left crying, scared and in pain when we finally got her in her bed. This is completely unacceptable - it takes two ambulance staff and a pallet-slide to move her around the hospital, why the hell was she sent home in a taxi??

Anything else?

Great care while there but don't just abandon patients as soon as you've discharged them. My sister will be talking to her solicitor about this who may want to persue the complaint.