Terrible Ward 20a for the elderly, Coventry University Hospital

[Hemzy]

My dad was rushed to hospital in August, low blood pressure. He was admitted straight away into a ward, they informed he will have to have a pacemaker to help with his heart. After a full week they decided to operate and put a pacemaker into my dad. He was moved into ICU, breathing on a ventilator, this went on for three months, inbetween the 3 months, he had severe delirium, constantly sedated. It was frustrating my dad couldn’t talk, he was scared and confused. Some of the doctors were very negative, one even informed us that my dad will pass away within 24 hours, some doctors were amazing some weren’t same with nurses. My dad had

Pneumonia twice whilst he was in hospital, dialysis treatment, a terrible hand infection from the cannula, this took weeks to heal, a terrible nappy rash. It took ages to wean him off the ventilator, then he had the tracheostomy. My dad had a lot of liquid around his lungs that didn’t help him breathe properly, eventually after constantly arguing demanding further treatment, they decided to preform another operation to remove excessive liquid.

As soon as this operation was done within a day my dad was in a much better place, he was talking loads, loads of energy, laughing smiling with the nurses. They started physio with him, weaning him back onto certain food drinks. He was doing so well, breathing on his own, completely off the ventilator. This is when it all goes wrong, they moved my dad into “Ward 20a” this ward is bedded care of the elderly, please be carful this ward is terrible, the nurses don’t care, especially the night ones, whenever I visited my dad, he was always on the edge of the bed literally falling off, no blanket, the call button hanging up and no next to my dad. Sometimes I would go and he would be waiting for a change for ages, they hardly checked on the elderly, even if they are ringing the call button, the nurses ignore them. They brought my dad the wrong food literally everyday, meat dinners not vegetarian. The nurses have no care for the elderly, it’s like my dad was taken there just to die on his own. Unfortunately my dad only lasted only a week in that ward, he passed away within the night. Even though we kept in touch and asked regularly if his vitals are okay and is he doing well. As far as we are concerned he fought all the way until the end, this ward neglected him, ward 20a the nurses are terrible they do not care, please be careful to take care of your love one, I wish I would have taken my dad home, we would have taken better care of him.

[Sepsur]

I’m really sorry to read your post.

I had excellent care in ICU - the wards are a gamble at best.

Making a formal complaint doesn’t cancel out the grief of losing your father or the suffering he endured.

I don’t write about my experience with my grandmother with a hospital in south London/Surrey - she was elderly and so mistreated ( I will never forgive this) & eventually died after suffering unbearably. The staff lacked compassion or empathy & were grossly negligent- as a family we ran out of energy complaining and were worn down by the trauma & grief.

I am so sorry for your loss.

[Hemzy in reply to Sepsur]

I don’t think hospitals care about the elderly anymore, the doctors go on about quality of life etc, if your love one needs extra help they can’t walk or needs help feeding, it feels like they write them off and nurses just think oh well they’re old now going to die anyway so they don’t help much in the wards, basic help and leave the old people to just pass away from neglect. I know when my time comes I don’t want to be in hospital around nurses who don’t care.

[Sepsur]

This site is a peer to peer support for families and patients who have experienced the trauma of ICU - it has no leverage over medical policy nor does it report back any bad practice. Whilst there will be many people here who have grievances- this specific forum has no teeth to change policy. It has no affiliation with NHS in anyway.

There are numerous research programmes being run to try and nudge medical practices, maybe, in time, you may want to enrol on one of these pertinent projects or to make a formal complaint. I believe each hospital has a PALS team ( patient advice liaison service) which will be able to advise you.

[Hemzy in reply to Sepsur]

I totally understand and thank you for the information, I have already researched the pals team, but I feel what’s the point now?, I’ve lost my dad 😓

[Sepsur in reply to Hemzy]

I share your sentiment regrettably.

My father died just before Christmas in very different circumstances - he was cherished up to the very end. His greatest fear would be that he would end his days like his mother.