Today, we got up at 5.00 a.m - it was cold , grey and rainy. We left the house at 6.00 a.m and drove to the hospital in just over an hour, we signed in and went to wait in a small, hot windowless room with 10 others (patients and family).
At 9.00 I rang M to say we were waiting to see if there was a bed or if H had to come home - I couldn't leave in case he did. She said she was fine, she'd drink tea in lieu of breakfast until I got back. At 9.30 another potential patient was sent home - no beds. We waited, in ignorance. Eventually we were told that they were waiting for rounds to finish to see who could be sent home as there were no beds. We waited.
At 10.15 another person was sent home, a third was told they would have a bed on another ward - soon. The very elderly man waiting with his daughter was looking more and more ill. We waited. The third man went down to the other ward - he was sent back to wait. Everyone was tired, the waiting patients and most of the rest of us had had nothing to eat or drink since the early hours, it was very hot. No information came.
At 10.50, at last the third man went to the other ward and someone at last took the elderly man in. Now there were two - H and another man, still waiting.
At 11.05, the other man was called - the sister looked at us in surprise and asked H's name - he gave it confirming that he'd signed in at just gone 7.00. We waited.
At 11.55 a passing nurse inquired how long we'd been waiting. She went to ask what was happening. The sister arrived - pleasant but obviously a little cross. There would be a bed, she said, but the elderly man in it at present could only be discharged to a relative and he had an hour's drive yet. But, she said, why were we there, we'd been phoned yesterday and told not to come in until we'd checked. We looked blank?? No-one had phoned us all day yesterday. Well it was marked on the intake list that we had been spoken to - the same list they had ticked in confirmation 5 hours earlier. Anyway, she said, as if conferring a special favour, H could have a bed but we could have come in much later. H couldn't resist pointing out that we wouldn't have got up at 5.00 leaving M alone to cope without breakfast until well past her lunch time if we could have stayed at home.
At 12.15 I left H still waiting. I had to go to the canteen to get sufficient change for the carpark charge (£5). In the canteen I met the wife of the third man sent to the other ward - he just been admitted, they been waiting in a different room. She refused to let me leave the canteen without a coffee as she said I looked terrible (kind soul, she was quite right) I went to the car and promptly spilt my coffee on the passenger seat.
At 1.40 I got home to poor M, whom I'd now phoned several times, and quickly got her some lunch - I was a bit past caring and cobbled together a sandwich. I checked the phone, no calls yesterday at all, one answerphone message left at 10.00 a.m, would H please phone ward 18 - made while we were sitting 30 feet away, waiting.
I've heard nothing so I don't know when H is coming out, or where he is or even if he's in that ward. I'm hoping I hear tomorrow before I drive over for visiting - another 3 hour round trip. I suspect there will be people there waiting for beds too.
2 comments:
This sounds so incredibly tiring. I don't like being in hospitals anyway, but ridiculous and potentially unnecessary long waits are even worse.
Yes, we're both exhausted. I picked husband up today - he was told at 10.00 a.m he would be able to go, I got there at 12.00. He hadn't got his discharge paperwork. I wasn't allowed on the ward between 12.15 and 1.15 because of the lunch hour - but he wasn't told I'd been sent away. We eventually left at 2.00pm - all that time his bed could have been used by someone else. It's a self perpetuating problem, yet the clinical nursing care is wonderful.
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