Mix-up puts woman on Covid ward
ON the morning of March 12 last, Aine Wellard was helped from a bus at St Vincent’s hospital and guided to the main building by a member of staff. Aine is blind, so finding her way around the sprawling campus is tricky. She called ahead, sought assistance and appreciated the help.
She had been referred to the cardiac unit by her GP because of concern about a history of heart attacks in her family. She never expected to end up in a Covid-19 unit.
After arriving, she was triaged. “My blood pressure was taken and I had a mask put on me, before I was brought to a waiting area. I thought it was strange being given a mask as part of a routine procedure but thought it must have been part of measures to prevent the virus being passed around.
“I was brought to a ward, had an ECG [heart rhythm check] and then was brought for chest X-ray. Nothing seemed unusual at this point but two people near me were very sick and lying down. They were coughing and one was getting sick.”
Then Aine was asked a series of questions. They all related to respiratory conditions. “They said they saw some congestion on my lungs and the doctor said you may have Covid-19. We want you in isolation.”
Aine had no symptoms before this point, or since. Swabs were taken and brought for analysis. She had come to hospital for a cardiac appointment and was not expecting to encounter Covid-19. She told the doctors she wanted to go home. “They said I could only go home by ambulance and they would have to book one, so I waited.”
She remained on the ward with Covid-19 patients, until a shift change saw another doctor come on duty. Aine said this doctor reviewed her notes and “could not understand how I got there”.
The doctor also reviewed her X-ray and uncovered a nodule, not congestion, in her chest. This lump has caused her considerable worry since.
Aine needed to sign a consent form to be discharged, but this raised another issue. No braille copy of the form was available and she was not prepared to sign a version she could not read herself. Under Section 28 of the Disability Act, hospitals and other public bodies are required to provide information in formats, including braille, for a person with a visual impairment.
“The doctor said if I was prepared to go in [to] isolation overnight I would get signed off the following morning by the senior doctor.”
She left the hospital at 5pm the day after she attended for her original appointment. She said she spent 17 hours in the unit where it was suspected she had Covid-19.
A spokeswoman for St Vincent’s Hospital said it respects patient confidentiality and its GDPR obligations, so does not discuss patient information with third parties. “We have policies and procedures in place to support patients with disabilities, including the use of braille when required.”
Aine has been worried since. “I feel pretty fed up,” she said.
“I have this nodule I know nothing about. It could be cancerous but I don’t know.”