To think a 5 hour round trip to the nearest hospital is just crap?

[muggglewump]

That's it really.

Actually, not entirely true, we have closer hospitals, but they do very little/are closing wards all the time, so our nearest for almost everything takes that long.

To go and visit my Dad for an hour today took 5 hours, and £14 for DD and I.

He's going to be in for a while, he's broken his hip, and has had a partial replacement, he's 86.
I'm a single parent, have DD off school with chest infection and on steroids for asthma so I'm off work with her, and even when I'm back at work, I don't know how I will work this into my day.

I can't take her on that trip again while she's ill, and wonder how I can fit it in even when she's well.

I'm not in the greatest health myself atm (Also asthma) and am struggling.

WTF is wrong with having hospitals nearby or thinking about those who don't drive when you transfer services?

They are completely incapable of looking at the bigger picture when they make these decisions. They can only see that ward a costs x amount, we need to save that amount so lets close it. Sometimes it even leads them to decisions that waste more money but too complicated for them to see.

it is crap, crap for you. sorry :-(

I am so worried for my Dad.

He said to me he's not slept since he's been in, but the nurse I spoke said he has.

I was in there myself for 12 days last year and know they talk bollocks, but it's so difficult for me to get up there, as I have no one to leave DD with and she's not well either.

I'm in what classed as a fairly remote County (Argyll & Bute) but not in a remote part of it.

Is it possible to ask if they have any hospital accomodation that you could stay in, perhaps for a weekend? We have some rooms at our hospitals and allow relatives to stay. Or a cheap hotel nearby? Premier inn is opening near one of our sites and is offering 35% to rooms for relatives.

I understand that they can not have hospitals open for just a few people especially with the cost of technology but 5 hours!

Where do you live?

sympathies.

but did you not consider that when you chose where you wanted to live? it certainly is part of my choice of home.

No, fraid not.

It never rains in my house, but pours.

As soon as I've got one problem sorted, I'm hit with two more.
But, the nearest Hospital being a 5 hour round trip on public transport, is clearly taking the piss.
The MP is on it, but it's still the case now.

Oh, and the hospital in question is awful, and the food is worse.
I took my Dad plenty of food-snacky bits to tempt him, fruit for nutrients, cakes as he enjoys them, trifle, just because!

When I was in there, they served me macaroni cheese.
Hmmm, fine you might think.

The sauce was water, I'm not sure where the cheese was, but they made up for it by pouring gravy on it, gravy that left a fatty coating in my mouth.
Fatty gravy and flabby pasta with water.

I guess that's nicer than the undrained tuna bones though, or the raw chips.

Anyone else in Argyll & Bute and fancies lobbying for a nearer, and better hospital, do get in touch!

Gartnavel is nearer.

No Warthog, I didn't, and neither did my parents!
I moved to be near them (from Australia) and I've stayed as my Dad is here.

If I'd known my Mum would die soon after me coming home, and 9 years later I'd develop brittle asthma, and then my daughter would be diagnosed asthmatic, and then my 86yr old Dad would break his hip, I'd have moved next door to a specialist asthma/geriatric hip hospital.
Of course.

I'm near Glasgow, hardly a backwater but we are sent to this hospital nowhere near.

It's not so bad if you drive, but I don't.

COFFEE,
I'm in Helensburgh.

Muggle, what hospital do they send you to that is a five hour trip from Helensburgh?

Or is that time taking into account the waiting time for connecting bus routes etc?

I know when my DD goes to Yorkhill it can be a corker of a trip, but only cos if we take the car we need to tackle the rush hour traffic, and if we take public transport it does take a while. Though, in mileage terms, we are less than 35 miles, which isn't really distant for a specialist hospital.

sorry muggglewump, is crap. maybe it's time to think about moving closer.

RAH, in Paisley, and yes, it's because it's on buses.
I don't have a car.

Warthog, I can't afford to move and I can't uproot DD from all her friends either, or her school.

I wish it were that simple, but it's not.

mugglewump
I'm in Paisley, if there's anything I can do to help just shout.

Thanks, I appreciate that.

I've been told that my Dad won't get moved at all until Monday.
He will then get moved to VOL if they have a bed.
I'll let that go if he accepts being there. If not, I'll kick up a stink until they move him.

I won't go back to RAH as a patient, I insisted on elsewhere, so I won't let my Dad stay if he doesn't want to.

What the hell is Warthog on about?

Sorry you are having to do this and put up with the worry too....Could your Dad feel like he's not getting sleep but he is getting some? You know how when you have a bad night you feel as if you've been awake all night but in fact youve been dozing...I get like that I know.

How ften are you getting to him? Can you see if the place has any volunteer visitors? Some do...maybe someone could pop by and see him on days when you can't?

an you phone him? HAs he got a telly?

We have to travel about that distance to get to acute care hospital, even farther for children's hospital.

warthog, this OP is not even in a remote place at all.

she'd have to leave her job and find another private let to take her if she moved, best of lucky finding that when you voluntarily leave your job.

Sorry you are having to do this and put up with the worry too....Could your Dad feel like he's not getting sleep but he is getting some? You know how when you have a bad night you feel as if you've been awake all night but in fact youve been dozing...I get like that I know.

Hope you don't mind me quoting.

I'm not sure, I'm just not.They say that Dad slept all night, he says he didn't and was in pain.

They said I didn't eat at all, they said I slept when I didn't, they failed to note half of the drugs they gave me.
And, they told DD that I'd die if I went home.
I'm still dealing with the fallout now, as you can imagine.

I don't trust them.

ok - i don't know the area. i'm thinking about a solution is all.