Back in Hospital

Saturday night, Mark got up for dinner after being in bed constantly from arriving home in the ambulance. He must have been up 2-3 hours when he said he had to go back to bed whatever was going wrong in his back was starting to happen again. He was in bed for maybe 45 mins when he started with the real agonizing pain. Rang for an ambulance. When they got here we explained the situation again. They rang for an extra crew to help get him on a scoop and immobilize his head. This time Mark needed gas and air for the pain so the crews were in a dilemma, one crew was front line crew ie one was a paramedic so they couldn't go anywhere other than BRI, the other crew could have taken him to Wakefield (Pinderfields) but they couldn't administer gas and air. We had no choice really, we were back off to BRI. In A&E for about 10 mins and we get our first break, the Registrar who was on duty on Thursday night when he was taken in was there again. He took one look at Mark, recognised him and went of to have 'words' with someone. By now Mark is nearly screaming with the pain. On top of the gas and air they gave him morphine to try and help manage the pain. We had a visit from someone from Orthopaedics who unfortunately got some serious abuse from Mark, she was supposed to authorise his admission to a ward. I really thought she would refuse to take him if he didn't stop swearing at her and as soon as she stepped away I had to tell him, difficult as that was, we both feel like screaming at anyone in earshot. She did admit him, and when she came back he apologised to her. Four hours after arriving at A&E he was transferred to the Orthopaedic Ward, where we have another problem. They were told not to move him at all until the consultant saw him in the morning, that meant he had been flat on his back since 9pm the evening before, now not on a spinal mattress and going to be left flat for another 4 hours. That will put him at risk of a pressure sore beginning. They didn't have all his drugs and even though I had his next days drugs already in a dispenser they wouldn't accept them because they weren't in the original pharmacy boxes. It's Trust Policy apparently. I did ask would they blindly follow Trust Policy to the point that someone died and not intervene. No answer.

Sunday, no consultants on, they can only manage his pain but the doctor did say they should keep turning him to prevent pressure sores.

Monday morning he's seen by Mr Taggart the Orthopaedic Consultant, who had to get his notes from Leeds ie where he should have been - took more history from Mark and decided he should be at Leeds and would refer him. In the meantime he would order another MRI and a visit from the Pain management team. Monday afternoon Mark gets through to his Consultant at Pinders, explains they have ordered another MRI but nothing else is happening, can't he get in touch with Leeds to find out why Mark is not being accepted. Mr Raza tells Mark he really needs a CT scan (you might remember that Mr Raza ordered a CT Scan for Mark at Pinders and they refused to do it). Mark explains that request would be better coming from Mr Raza obviously, so Mark asks a Nurse to get one of Mr Taggarts team, he comes and Mr Raza requests the CT Scan. That's agreed, but won't be done today.

Tuesday morning, Mr Taggarts team visit Mark, discussion takes place on whether he's having MRI or CT scan or both, until Mark reminds them of the discussion of the previous day and it's agreed he's having both. One person from the pain team visit and prescribe slow release morphine to be administered regularly and he has to ask for Oramorph (it's liquid morphine and fairly quick acting) whenever he feels the pain coming on. You can tell now that the morphine is starting to affect his clarity of thought. By lunchtime today he still hadn't had his scan. As I'm just about to walk through the door to visit I get a phone call from Mark - where are you love? Just about to walk into the hospital I reply. Marks says 'Can you go home and get me some Baclofen, they've run out, someone forgot to order it from the Pharmacy'. Well that just about sums up this broken NHS. So I had to go home and get Baclofen out of his supply and take it in to them.

I have asked the Chief Exec of SIA if we have any legal rights to demand Mark be seen by the appropriate person as this is what it might take to get action. I have also tried to get in touch with his consultant at BRI directly to find out how the system is supposed to work and who is supposed to take responsibility for him now. His secretary's phone is on answer phone because she's off poorly and no one at the hospital at this point can tell me when he's even available to speak to. We haven't really made a fuss yet but that is about to change, this must be nearly bordering on patient neglect!!