Hospital Admission And Medical Errors

[phleb]

my mother has been admitted to hospital for an infection, whilst there she started to get chest pains and her heart rate is elevated/high/abnormal. we find that whilst she has been in, the staff have failed to administer her regular angina meds and we believe this led to the chest pains. she has never had chest pains before and is now looking very frail. the staff admitted they didnt give her these meds, but they cannot explain to us why they failed to give them. they said there was no stock in the pharmacy. after speaking to the pharmacist it was confirmed that there was more than enough stock available, but my mother had taken her own tablets to hospital aswell and there should be no reason as to why they failed to give her her regular meds. now i am so angry as i felt my mum would be safe in hospital and after seeing her today, i have no confidence in the medical team at all. i told them i will seek legal advice. i want to make a complain as they cannot get away with this, its neglect and they cannot get away with this lightly.
any advice would be appreciated.

[Mamyalynne]

You have every right to make a complaint, we all do and they should have pointed you in the right direction.

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1084.aspx?categoryid=68

[Mamyalynne]

Hope Mum picks up soon.

[Buenchico]

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1084.aspx?categoryid=68

[Buenchico]

Snap!

[gness]

Phleb....the only advice I will give you is to write down everything... names....dates....times....and take photographs....you will be fobbed off and they will try to cover for each other....
You can ask for copies of medical notes.....these are/were so much per page but no more that £50 maximum...they're useful to mull over...

I made daily notes and took photographs which were invaluable during the following inquiry....and for me to present to the coroner ....

I was lied to as was my solicitor.....but I had the photographs to prove the truth....good luck....x

[DaisyNonna]

Take the advice offered frm Abers and meanwhile be as loud as you can in the hearing of as many people as possible
Demand to see a consultant and keep on making your complaints as public as possible
Have no idea how to consult pertinent legal advice but hopefully the threat will suffice
Hopeful that your mother will recover soon

[Sqad]

Just calm down and gather the facts.
You say that she had an infection ...where? chest? bladder?
What were the tablets she was taking BEFORE going into hospital?
What tablets does your mother say she wasn't given?
These "chest pains", were they investigated and if so what were the results.
Before you start taking legal actions, photographs and shouting the odds.....get the true facts in a calm manner.

[KARL]

You can expect an uphill struggle, as countless records of failure within the system show - you are in the UK where transparency and accountability is anathema and those fighting for it usually lose or at least don't get anywhere for years and decades, many simply giving up. The UK's health system is known to score shockingly badly regarding inadequate treatment outcomes.

[NoMercy]

I echo what Sqad says - a lot of complaints are based on people jumping to conclusions and just assuming that their relative / loved one has had a raw deal.

Sometimes investigations fail to identify an obvious cause of symptoms and therefore you cannot just treat something blindly.

In your opening statement you say, "She has never had chest pains before." So why is she on angina meds? Surely she was started on these for a reason?

[bednobs]

My advice is to use the NHS complaints system first. this will give you a clearer idea about what has happened and why. If you are using lawyers, the NS complaints system stops, and you can't persue both together, so go htru the NHS first and then decide

[Peter Pedant]

start off with PALS
it will be in the main corridor of the Hospital
and they are used to detailing this

make sure thro pALS that they were prescribed

and get your mums consent to discuss her case

[My droogz were sucked into the Hospital pharmacy ! and I was told I wasnt allowed my own on a ward ( no need to sequester them I countered )
the ward also filched my 'careful fragile on cytotoxics' bookey and I collared sister on the drug round
who said "I have no idea WHAT you are talking about!"
"never heard anything so stupid - I have googled cytotoxics and ve google translayer dont fink narfin!"

[the usual AB fare from the usual suspects in case anyone recognises it]

and in the unlocked drugs trolley I tapped a little red book next poisons and said " it looks like this and if you open it you will find my name inside"

and without a word or checking or further ado she picked it up and handed it to me ! and went on dealing out aspirin

( open mouthed I did NOT say: did you know about this all along?)

so get down to PALS and start complaining !

[Peter Pedant]

I dont quite echo sqad and nomercy

PALS first - consent required and then you can get a look at her notes and her nursing kardex

if you are dissatisfied you are entitled to an explanation
even if they have done all the right things
in which case they will fall over themselves in a rush to tell you

we had one who clocked up 70
at least five every admission in a frquent flier

[Sqad]

"I dont quite echo sqad and nomercy "

It is better to understand what you are complaining about.....have the facts...derive your questions from these facts and if they are as you have been told THEN go to PALS.

[phleb]

she was on angina meds as she had angina and to prevent a heart attack, she only ever got slight anxiety pains on occasions. she was admitted with a urine infection. i spoke with the cardiologist today and he agrees that the missed doses have contributed to her chest pains. she has what is called atrial flutter. has today been prescribed betablockers. she also has a clot on her lung, she had a ct scan at the beggining of the week and it wasnt mentioned then. she is already on anti coag drugs.

[murraymints]

write everything down ..you think you will remember ..but you wont...I found it hit and miss in hossies how much care was given to elderly patients..I had to kick and scream with FIL at 85 they really did not seem to bother themselves much 'till I made it very clear that I would be on their case..I had to go in at meal times to make sure he ate..needed help that was not forthcoming..then I discovered he was being given haliperidol to keep him quiet..turned into a zombie..fell trying to get out of bed etc etc.. got better when he came home...only went in with UTI ..

[murraymints]

..and I spent a lot of time helping other patients eat..ended up changing a bed that a chap had spilled a drink over..after asking nurses at least 3 times..they had the cheek to show me the linen store when I said I'd do it myself such was his distress.. changed him emptied his catheter and calmed him...

[Mamyalynne]

Glad you have spoken to someone and have more information now Phleb.

[Jackdaw33]

I have just come out of hospital after a five-week stay following a fall at home and to be honest it was hell on wheels. It was a miracle if you could make out a word they said to you. One thing I did discover was that there is only one nurse to a ward; the rest are so-called nursing assistants who are not fully qualified. They look and dress like nurses but they aren't. I found the male nurses to be much more compassionate and caring but they mainly worked night shift.

[Sqad]

It looks as though she was on beta-blockers before she went into hospital and for one reason or another, theses were discontinued.
You need to know why?
Has she been harmed in the present or immediate future from this omission? I doubt it.
The chest pains may well have come from the pulmonary embolus and not because of the non-prescribing of her angina drugs.
The Cardiologist disagrees.No apparent harm has been done.
Now with these facts you can go to PALS.
Good luck.