to be desperately worried about my mums current hospital inpatient care

[2014meh]

Long story short- she was admitted for an orthopaedic operation and has various underlying health conditions (she's 75).

Op went well according to surgeon but she has hardly eaten since she has been back on the ward, and has experienced chest pains, ECG shows nothing apparently and is not really getting mobile 4 days post -op as experiencing shortness of breath when the physio staff try to get her walking with a frame. She's now bed bound and being supplied with oxygen.

I was worried about her post-op care and recovery before she went in, I'm now building up to frantic. There's no sense of urgency amongst the nursing/support staff on the ward. Everything is "Oh yes we must do a/b or get person x or y to look at that/see you" but this then either takes 48 hours or doesn't happen at all. If this was their mother in hospital I'm pretty sure stuff would be taken care of pronto. My sister is terrified of putting her hand up and saying anything and says not to push anything with the ward staff.

It's Friday now, so I'm looking into the abyss of hospital inpatient care at a weekend with the dearth of testing/scanning/senior medical staff around that this entails.

They're going to f**cking send her out in a wheelchair or a box aren't they ? She ain't gonna walk out by herself as they said she might.

What can I do to help stop this tragedy in progress and maximise her chances of a recovery ?

Snap! Another one with an appalling personal experience of neglect in an NHS hospital for an elderly parent.
OP - be persistent, record it and do as suggested upthread, find the matron's name / her consultant's and doctor's name and hassle them, repeatedly. Some hospitals do publish email addresses for specific personnel and doctors - use those so there's a record of your complaints.
I'm afraid that you don't get anywhere in protecting relatives by respecting the wonderful people in the NHS. There is still a culture whereby neglect, brutality and medical incompetence still flourish, especially in those wards where the elderly are dumped (as opposed to the critical care more 'high profile' wards).
Regrettably, despite what has been said on this thread, this negative reputation has been and still is being well evidenced and documented -repeatedly.
Wishing you and your mother all the best...

I visited yesterday spoke to nursing staff as arranged (not the ward manager but the next level down) They were not going to send her home yet but seem to be waiting to rule out constipation as the cause of her shortness of breath before deciding on the next course of action.

I am ringing again today (can't visit daily as it's not local to me and a huge time commitment getting there and back) They said the medical staff would be "reviewing her today" whatever that means.

There is now more stuff I want to raise after talking to Mum. Had to see nurse before visiting Mum as she was about to go off duty. Failure to get blood from her and just abandoning the attempts for one thing. They surely wanted that blood for testing of some sort !