Worried about hospital room change?

[Suziesle]

My elderly friend has been taken into hospital, bad UTI which has been left for a while before seeking medical help.

I visited yesterday and was shocked to see her in a side room by herself and not on the ward?

I'm under the impression the side rooms are for those who are close to passing away, am I wrong?

The hospital would not release any information at all, I am so worried.

The side rooms are for those that need them. I've been in them a few times for different things.

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion. Maybe the ward was full or she's well enough to be in a room by herself and the nurses wanted her to have some peace and quiet.

You’re wrong, side rooms are used for all sorts of reasons

DH was put in a side room because he had an infection and they didn't want to spread it to the rest of the ward.

Side rooms can be used for many reasons. Particularly if someone has something contagious- not sure if that applies? I’ve been in hospital a lot and generally they also move someone to a side room if they have diarrhoea incase it’s something other can catch.

I was in a side room for most of my 2 week hospital stay when i had acute pancreatitis and gallstones. I was relatively ill, but i was nowhere near dying. I think it was just the bed which was available when I was moved to the ward. Perhaps your friend was initially in a bed close to the nurses station, and that was needed for someone who needs to be closer to the nursing staff?

How big is the ward? At my local hospital they have "bays" with 4 beds each. They often switch people round depending on demand ie they are making it a male bay or a bay for people who all need extra support.

Also your friend may have covid or flu or MRSA (non of which necessarily are that concerning) and require infection control measures.

In my experience working at a hospital most people are moved for the above reasons rather than being EoL.

DH was in a side room as he’d found sleep impossible on a noisy ward. Could be all sorts of reasons.

You can be delirious with a UTI, so maybe she was upset by others in the ward or they felt she needed a peaceful environment. I hope she makes a good recovery

Thank you all, I wondered re infection but I thought they'd have a duty of care for me as a visitor to say if there was a risk of her being infectious. Hopefully she's in there so they can keep a closer eye on her.

They can seem very lax with visitors regarding some infection control. The risk they are trying to manage is the spread of illness to other patients via clinical staff.

Like I said it could also be nothing to do with your friend at all but rather the needs of the other patients.

I’m a nurse, side rooms are used for loads of reasons other than just for patients who are dying (additional privacy, infection control, patients with severe allergies, patients who need a chaperone, patient preference, patients who need additional space for equipment, just because that’s where there’s a free bed etc).

She may have been moved because they needed the bed in the main bay for someone else (it’s easier to see and monitor patients in the main bays so patients who are very unwell, confused or at risk of falls etc tend to be given the beds in the main bays so they’re more visible to staff).
I really wouldn’t read too much into it.

Also, it’s probably best not to speculate about her illness/prognosis etc. She’ll have had a discussion with the medical staff caring for her, if she wants to share the details with you then she will do- you don’t have to guess based on her room allocation!