Am I right to call 111?

Your mum clearly has delirium

Really? And how do you know that @RunnerDown?

I had two relations who were hospitalised with similar symptoms to OH's mother. Everyone around them tried to rationalise it as delirium. Both of them were sectioned. Neither of them had delirium.

General wards don’t have the legal right to keep someone

OP's mother is already under a DoLS.

This is not your new normal op. Your mum clearly has delirium. This may be as well as having dementia, but it’s impossible to know that at the moment.
Unfortunately hospitals are both the best and the worst places for people with delirium. The best- because they can’t be managed safely at home and the hospital with hopefully identify and treat the trigger to the delirium. The worst- because the changes of staff and general chaos in these wards, along with being removed from the persons usual residence and routine will add to the confusion.
General wards don’t have the legal right to keep someone or treat them against their will and so sometimes a section is required to manage this. I would ask if the ward staff have made a referral to the liaison psychiatrist who can assess all this. Mental health wards can’t manage acute illness well but are much better at managing the symptoms of delirium.
Delirium is a condition that does get better ( although it can take up to 6 months and can certainly last long after the underlying cause has been treated) If a person has dementia too it can be that their “ recovery” from delirium is to a much worse level of dementia than they had before . But it’s different for everyone. Some people make a good recovery. No one can tell what the prognosis is at this stage .
It’s such a difficult situation for you and very stressful .

I don't think there's anything you can do really, except be her daughter, if she'll let you, be calm and offer comfort whenever this is possible. This is the crisis some of us spoke about (I know the whole story has felt like a crisis in many ways). If it were me I think I'd be keeping in touch by phone and getting back to work. Sorry OP.

OH dear OP, things do seem to have escalated.

To be blunt, there's really no point in "trying to get through to her". You can't. Also, I would not rely on the antibiotics changing her behaviour. This is, imo, your new normal.

If she does not calm down then she will be sectioned. It sounds (I am not a doctor) like she needs some calming medication, such as sodium valproate. They will be able to assess this once she is on a secure ward. Don't bet on that being in the hospital grounds. It depends on where a bed can be found for her at the point that the ward cannot cope with her.

But, things can go wrong. Let's just remember that doctor who thought she was fit to be discharged...

• Reassure the person that he or she is safe and you are there to help.
• Focus on his or her feelings rather than words. For example, say, “You seem worried.”
• Don’t argue or try to reason with the person.
• Try not to show your frustration or anger. If you get upset, take deep breaths and count to 10. If it’s safe, leave the room for a few minutes.
• Use humor when you can.

• talk clearly and use short sentences, in a calm and non-threatening voice
• be empathetic with how the person feels about their beliefs and experiences
• validate the person’s own experience of frustration or distress, as well as the positives of their experience
• listen to the way that the person explains and understands their experiences
• not state any judgements about the content of the person’s beliefs and experiences
• not argue, confront or challenge someone about their beliefs or experiences
• accept if they don't want to talk to you, but be available if they change their mind
• treat the person with respect
• be mindful that the person may be fearful of what they are experiencing

Good Heavens ,what a shock !
I imagine the hospital must have or can contact staff who have psychiatric knowledge and that they would advise .Though it's Sunday and a GP strike ...
I believe the advice is not to challenge people who are disturbed and that "feeding back" to them can de escalate and calm .
So "yes I can understand why you're feeling that the policeman sitting by your bed is a Russian spy and that he means you harm ,his uniform is quite scary isn't it ?Shall I ask him to come and talk to us both .He's a hospital security guard and he's here to stop you getting lost if you go for a walk .You were really unwell this morning and the nurses don't want you disturbing the other patients "
I'm not very good at this ,but I think you're meant to reassure ,not confront as this escalates things .

all you can do is make sure you have a charger and power bank for your phone, toothbrush and spare knickers in your car and snacks.
when my DM was sectioned she hadto travel 50 miles away with two nurses.
the team who received her were incredibly kind to her and my sister and I. They told my sister and I to go home and not visit for 48-72 hrs to catch up on our own sleep and that they would treat her like their own mum

Hugs to you.
Be assured the nursing team will have seen this before. My DM was sectioned for similar behaviour after we couldn’t contain her at home. Don’t feel you need to apologise or take responsibility. It’s quite clear she is unwell. The hospital team won’t think bad of her or you. They will be able to treat her although they might need to find her a MH bed.

My mum had a broken hip about 18 months ago and was very much like this when she was in hospital. We guessed she didn't have dementia as she was 92 and had never shown any symptoms before, but figured out it was due to something that had happened or was given to her when her hip was repaired.

It was really distressing for her - she thought people in the hospital were trying to kill her. She invented all sorts of stories about the other patients and spoke in a way she'd never spoken before. It lasted for several weeks. When she got home it took us a long time to realise she didn't really know where she was. One day, about a year later, I happened to be opening her living room blinds when she was standing next to me and she said, "Oh so that's what's out there!" (It was the driveway, nothing interesting!)

The paranoia did wear off after a few weeks. I really hope it does for your mum, too. It must be so awful to feel like that, but I really feel for you, too.

Gosh OP, that's a lot to deal with. So yesterday the doctor wanted to discharge her, and today she's under a DoLS 🙄 They really don't give them out lightly. At least it sounds like someone on her ward is on the ball.

@JamieFrasersSassenach i have lots of fingers crossed for you and your dm.

give yourself some time off tomorrow, give the ward a ring and see how she is but don’t go tearing over the country to find there’s nothing you can actually do. Could her friend feed the cat or is there anyone local who could pass a key to a hired cat feeder?

just in case it’s useful, most wards have a mobile accessible if she’s in a good enough place to talk to you and she doesn’t have her own. They’ll give you the number if you ask.

I'm so sorry OP to read what you're going through.
My nana had dementia and she also suffered terribly with UTIs. Her whole personality would change.
She was exceptionally close with my aunty and unfortunately my aunty for the brunt of everything, and like you was accused of everything.
I hope once you find out exactly what is going on it gets easier. Must be so hard for everyone involved. Sending love ❤️

Just wanted to say, after loosing all 4 parents now that it doesn't always follow, that our elders will succumb to dementia/ Alzheimer's etc.
However, my heart goes out to Op, and this extremely difficult time, as I have a close friend, who mum I could see so many similarities with op's mum.
My friend who also lives miles away from her dm got so poorly with the worry she actually had to have some time off work herself.
She accuses her daughter of things - it's really sad.

It might be worth ringing early morning before hand over to see how her night was too op. Very often this type of confusion is a lot worse at night for some reason. Getting an idea from the night nursing staff of how she has been is good ammo for if she doesn’t seem too bad in the day when the Drs are flying past on their rounds. Many nhs trusts will have a delirium specialist or team op, ask if they have this, or at the very least specific guidelines, and ask if they are utilising this.

Be prepared to argue against discharge again tomorrow. There’s a lot of pressure to discharge and free up beds (especially before the weekend) but you need a proper conversation with their discharge team about her safety going forward.

What is happening about a Care Plan, OP?