System fails frail Alex
Daughter hits out after her dad, 90, is let down by stretched service
A catalogue of care blunders saw a frail East Kilbride pensioner discharged from hospital with no assessment of his home carried out.
Alexander Armour, 90, underwent major heart surgery in Hairmyres Hospital and had a pacemaker fitted in March.
He collapsed in his Village home and was left fighting for his life.
The pensioner pulled through but his family were unhappy with the level of care he was receiving at the East Kilbride hospital and fought for him to be transferred to an NHS Lanarkshire rehabilitation unit in Stonehouse eight weeks ago.
But just last week daughter Caroline was told out-of-the-blue by the rehab unit her dad was being discharged the next day – despite his house being empty – and no care in place. This was stopped but, just a few days later, Alexander was indeed discharged – despite no assessment being carried out at his home by occupational therapy.
Care worker Caroline told the News he “wasn’t able to cope” with the “inadequate” community care plan put in place by the rehab unit due to his limited mobility.
A further assessment by community occupational health service has now seen Alexander’s care package increased from a carer twice a day to four times a day.
But Caroline claims staff shortages and ever-increasing pressure for beds means vulnerable patients like her dad are “falling through the cracks”.
She said: “It has been months and months of fighting to get the care my dad has needed.
“There has been error after error – from the care he initially received in Hairmyres. Basic nursing like checking his fluid intake and output seemingly missed.
“I came in to the coronary care ward and he was in agony, his stomach badly distended and urine bright red with blood.
“The condition of tissue round his groin is also very poor due to urine burns.”
She went on: “I know there is pressure for beds but surely the welfare of the patient is still the most important thing?”
“The sad thing is up until three months ago my dad was largely independent – he had a stroke eight or so years ago but we got him back on his feet.
“My mum has limited vision due to macular degeneration and he was able to cook their meals and mostly look after the pair of them day-to-day.”
But Caroline said she was “shocked” by how little her dad, who has lost three-anda-half-stone in the last three months, could do for himself on being sent home.
Dad has lost three-and-a-half stones in the last three months and has been left unable to do many of the things he did before – he needs help with everything from getting out of bed and getting to the bathroom Caroline Armour
“He needs help with everything, from getting out of and into bed, and getting to the toilet where nothing was in place. My mum is 86 and in no fit state to do it. I live nearby but work full-time, so can’t always be there.
“But as far as I could see the rehab unit were just so desperate for the bed, they just wanted him out,” she said.
“Dad was left sitting all day for patient transport that never turned up and then he was eventually sent home with a catheter in place but no change of bags.”
Caroline claims Alexander’s deterioration stems from “unnecessary” hypertension and angina medication he was put on by doctors at Hairmyres two years ago.
“When he collapsed in March a senior A&E consultant in Hairmyres asked what on earth was he doing taking them and told us he should have never been on them in the first place. We have him home now and I don’t really want to put him through going back to in to hospital – but what have things come to when people are being sent home before they are actually ready?
“I know how hard most staff work but it seems they are stretched to the limit and it’s the patients who are suffering.”
Anne Armstrong, deputy director for Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals, said they were aware of some of the issues raised and were “looking into them”. She went on to say that no formal complaint had been received in regards to care at Hairmyres but they were happy to meet Ms Armour to “discuss concerns”.
Ms Armstrong added that the health board regret any instance where someone feels they have failed to provide the highest standards of care but there is a formal complaints process whereby concerns can be “fully investigated”.