Care Opinion

Hospital care at Ninewells

Posted By greenee76

"Hospital care at Ninewells"

About: Medicine for the Elderly / Acute Medicine for the Elderly (ward 16) Ninewells Hospital / Accident & Emergency Ninewells Hospital / Acute Medical Unit (AMU)

(as a service user),

My elderly mother was taken into Ninewells a few weeks ago, she had to wait in the corridor for over an hour before getting a bed in A&E. She waited 4 hours before she was seen by anyone in A&E, in that time not one person came over to say there would  be a long wait or even to acknowledge my mum. 

I left her late at night in A&E after being told she would be moving up to a ward shortly,  when I spoke to her the next day she told me she was not moved from A&E until the early hours of the morning!

She was greeted at AMU by a nurse loudly speaking to another nurse questioning why she was there and was not provided with a buzzer or water therefore  had to wait until another nurse noticed.   

Mum was moved to ward 16 later on that day and the care in that ward was a total contrast to AMU. Most of the nurses were caring and compassionate, the only issue she had was the food, she could hardly eat any meal that was put down due to it being over cooked, dry or not suitable for her condition, overall it was not the most pleasant experience for someone so old and frail and in need of treatment and some kindness. 

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Responses

Response from Jane Brown, Nurse Manager, Medicine and Cardiovascular, NHS Tayside 5 months ago
Jane Brown
Nurse Manager, Medicine and Cardiovascular,
NHS Tayside

Submitted on 15/10/2024 at 13:13
Published on Care Opinion at 13:13

Dear greenee76

I'm sorry to hear about your mother's experience when being admitted to Ninewells Hospital. The A&E department and AMU department are not within my remit but I'm sure the managers of those services would be keen to explore your experience further if you would like to make contact?

In regards to your mother's care in Ward 16 I'm delighted to hear that things improved and despite a difficult start. I'm sorry to hear about problems with the food and again I'm sure the catering manager would be keen to hear of your feedback and discuss this further with you. I'm also keen to hear whether your mother was offered any alternatives to the meals which arrived for her?

We're very grateful for you taking the time to feedback about your mother's care and experience and would be more than happy to offer you a meeting or opportunity to discuss your concerns further.

If you would like an opportunity to meet please don't hesitate to contact me or the Patient Experience Team to discuss further.

best wishes

Jane

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Response from Linda Nicol, Senior Nurse, Acute Medical Unit / Short Stay Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, NHS Tayside 5 months ago
Linda Nicol
Senior Nurse, Acute Medical Unit / Short Stay Medicine,
Ninewells Hospital, NHS Tayside

Submitted on 15/10/2024 at 19:51
Published on Care Opinion at 19:51

Dear greenee76

I am sorry to hear about your mother's recent experience in AMU. This is not the care we would wish for any patient however always appreciate feedback so we can raise awareness to the team.

There may have been a delay in your mother's transfer to AMU from ED due to bed availability however I am unable to comment further.

Unfortunately due to the anonymous nature of care opinion I am unable to investigate the specifics of your mother's care. I would echo Jane's response that we would be happy to offer a meeting or opportunity to discuss your concerns further if you would like to contact the feedback team.

This feedback will be shared with the AMU team and apologies again for your mothers experience within AMU.

Kind Regards

Linda

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Response from Andrew Kinnon, ED, NHS Tayside 5 months ago
Andrew Kinnon
ED,
NHS Tayside

Submitted on 16/10/2024 at 09:02
Published on Care Opinion at 09:02

Dear greenee76

I'm sorry to hear about your mothers recent experience aspects of which involved the Emergency Department. I was very sorry to read that time for assessment and communication were aspects of care that could have been improved upon.

So we can investigate the circumstances around your mothers attendance further I would be grateful if you would consider contacting the NHS Tayside patient experience team with your mothers attendance date, date of birth and the Title of the Care opinion post. This will allow the ED team to review and reflect on any aspects of learning.

thank-you again for taking the time to feedback

regards

Dr Andrew Kinnon Co-Clinical Lead in EM

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