"My elderly mother's admission to hospital after a fall"

My 95 year old mother was admitted to East Surrey hospital for a brain scan after a fall.

The hospital was closed because of the norovirus so no family visits were allowed and my mother is dependent on family members to help her in hospital - as she can't hear properly, is severely visually impaired and has poor cognition and communication skills.

Hospital phones on the ward weren't answered for hours at a time so we had no way of finding out how she was. By the time I gained access to her (by coming to the hospital and sitting outside the ward) she was seriously distressed. Her sheets were covered in blood when we found her even though the brain scan was clear and there was no reason for medical intervention.

We finally got Mum discharged, after saying we would do it against medical advice, and she had to wait 4 hours for an ambulance.

100% credit to the fantastic paramedics who returned her into her own bed at the care home with humour and a lot of TLC, despite it being late at night.

Things that could be improved: advice for relatives of elderly and vulnerable people admitted when the hospital is closed to visitors and clear and transparent access arrangements for them; proper communications easily accessible.