Advice needed

[pip37]

hi everyone

Edited December 3, 2009 by pip37

[Sali]

My advice is to keep a very accurate diary of events, including names and times and exactly what happened. You may need this in the future. I would almost be tempted to get a copy of the hospital notes for the period through Subject Data Access.

 

The nurse who is wrongly dosing the drugs needs to be reported immediately. She is a danger to your son and to other patients. Put this in writing and deliver it by hand to the modern matron. If I saw this nurse dishing out drugs again without supervision, I would probably just contact the NMC for advice.

 

It may be an idea to contact the DoH Patient Choice Patient choice : Department of Health - Health care to ask their advice prior to the meeting.

 

In the meeting with the hospital managers, try to ensure that you are accompanied and that you take notes. Perhaps you could even ask if to record it. There really should be no objection to this.

 

Involve your MP. He/she may agree to accompany you to the meeting. Mine did.

 

Don't be intimidated by these people and never believe them when they tell you they have your son's and your best interests at heart. If you do not understand something, don't be afraid to ask them to explain.

[pip37]

hi sali

 

Thank u for taking the time to answer my post. i am keeping a diary of whats been happening. The latest now is the meeting isnt going ahead as the ward supposedly had a call from my sons consultant (even though we were told he wasnt in til tommorow) saying that he has got some results and would need to discuss them with us. On the last mri they managed to get a few images but the radiographer said probably wont be any good. so on the basis of that we are wondering how he has managed to get results. Not sure if he is just going to take the word of the neuro docs that it is his facet joint thats the problem or he will just wiggle out of it all and send him home but either way we need proof we cant just let them guess what the problem is so will be asking to see the evidence. Bit anoyed that we have been left in this limbo overnight worrying what is going to happen. will update tommorow when we no more.

xxx

[Sali]

I'm sure you must feel extremely powerless.

 

Don't let them blind you with science. Doubt them and question everything.

 

Good luck. I really hope everything goes well.

[kurvaface]

Hi Pip

 

I think it would be well worth your while giving your GP a ring and firmly expressing your concerns. It sounds like your son is in a dangerous environment and should perhaps be moved to a paediatric ward.

[zippygbr]

pip, I find your original post extremely hard going , primarily because of the lack of paragraphs, basic grammar and some very interesting spelling , however after deciphering it

 

a fall in a 16 year old patient is likely to be passed to NHS direct or the ambulance service clinical advice desk by the call-takers in the ambulance communications centre, as in general ( and disregarding co-morbidities) this is not necessarily going to be something which requires an ambulance, however in the case of your son this may well be different due to his pre-existing condition.

 

in terms of waits for beds , perhaps you ought to be asking why the PCTs stop funding acute hospital beds but fail to provide the community based services they say will replace them, equally ask local authorities especially housing and social services why they are incapable of doing anything in a timely and cooperative manner.

 

depending on the policy of Acute Trusts 16 -18 year olds may well be placed on adult wards, especially where paediatric inpatient beds are limited by funding or estates issues. i have worked for a number of trusts where different criteria have been used

 

in one trust the determinant was compulsory school age, in another it was are they still at school ( in a larger trust with a larger paediatric bed base, and age specific wards for babies, young children, tweens and teens ) where in a third it was the 16th birthday

 

i'm guessing that this is also your first experience of 'adult' inpatient care with your son and you are finding that the much more limited information giving to next of kin in adult services is a very big difference to the way in which paediatric services treat parents

 

you are correct that the diclofenac dose was a drug error, the BNF and the product licence says 150 mg in 24hrs ,

 

it is also somewhat harder to organise anaesthetists for routine investigations such as scans in an adult patient ...

[zippygbr]

My advice is to keep a very accurate diary of events, including names and times and exactly what happened. You may need this in the future. I would almost be tempted to get a copy of the hospital notes for the period through Subject Data Access.

 

The nurse who is wrongly dosing the drugs needs to be reported immediately. She is a danger to your son and to other patients.

 

you need to be careful making accusations like that on the basis of a hearsay report ...

 

yes it is a drug error if an incorrect total dose is given ... equally i have given medications in doses greater than that licensed for the drug , in divided doses divided in ways other than routinely recommended and have does so with the full knowledge of nursing management and the consultant responsible for the patient.

 

 

Put this in writing and deliver it by hand to the modern matron. If I saw this nurse dishing out drugs again without supervision, I would probably just contact the NMC for advice.

 

yes put your concerns in writing , to the Ward Manager, who will involve the matron as appropriate.

 

as for your other statement i'd be extremely careful with jumping the gun in a situation like this.

 

especially as it appears that the drug error didn't actually happen ...

 

 

Don't be intimidated by these people and never believe them when they tell you they have your son's and your best interests at heart. If you do not understand something, don't be afraid to ask them to explain.

 

unfortunately misguided crusaders and meddlers make resolving differences in healthcare far more complicated than it need be with their potentially libellous statements based on one third of the real story ( the observer, the practitioner and the actual truth) and confrontational attitude towards staff.

[Sali]

ziggybr

 

Well the original post has gone missing, but it did state that the drugs were being dosed incorrectly and I responded accordingly. Any patient/relative/carer who has any doubts about the actions of any medic should be positively encouraged to question and should expect a prompt explanation. If I was still unsure, I would escalate it. Yes, the medic may be right...but equally they may be wrong. Would you want to live with the regret of not doing what you thought was right at the time, even if that meant the hospital staff thought you were being confrontational?

 

It is the Trusts who fail to be honest and transparent when dealing with complainants that turns them into 'crusaders and meddlers' (as you so sweetly put it). In truth they are just ordinary citizens seeking justice. The best thing is not to let it get that far and to stand up for yourself or your relative before things go badly wrong. This is not just my opinion - have you read the Patients Assocation's reports, the newspapers, seen the TV documentaries?

 

Libellous comments? Please! There were no names mentioned. The NHS would be never out of court if it spent all its time defending the negative comments thrown at it...most of which they'd have a hard time proving false.