To complain to hospital about this?

[kayla12345]

Back story - family member has been in hospital due to stroke for 6 weeks, on a rehab ward and length of stay estimated to be another 3 months.

3 weeks ago they contracted an infection which means they are isolated on a side room. Rooms nice but the tv doesn't work (aerial), they've been in this room for 3 weeks with no working tv and due to the infection will need to stay in the side room Until discharge.

I've complained about the tv not working. Visiting hours are limited and relative is sat in silence alone for the majority of the day!

I've tried to speak to matron on several occasions but never on when I'm visiting, left messages and no one has called me back.

Asked tonight to speak to the nurse in charge who made me feel awful for asking for a working tv, advising I've been told a new TVs ok order and there's nothing she can do. I've explained multiple times jts not the tv it's the aerial as the tv works just gets no signal.

Aibu to expect a working tv or a radio in the room as a minimum? Not bothered about having to pay for it but it's frustrating relative is alone for so much time and sat in silence.

Prisoners have better conditions.

@WhoopWhoopNow that’s not the guidance but hospitals can choose. Makes me cross though.

I was in hospital a couple of years ago and one of the patients had their own small tv that they’d had bought in by their bed. They were a long stay patient so it was clearly allowed though it drove the rest of us mad as she had it on night and day at full volume.

I think you could easily take in a radio or cd player or can they manage a smartphone with something like BBC Sounds? I’d just take it in and not ask anyone. I’d also persist with PALS. They can contact the ward manager or matron, that’s their job, and emphasis mental health and delaying recovery.

My friend is on a stroke rehab ward currently and has a tablet so he can watch films and TV (with headphones as he is with other people obviously). All we had to do was sign a disclaimer that the hospital wouldn't be held liable if it got nicked/lost/broken.

Op, this sounds bad that it's affecting them mentally. Hospital is extremely boring and isolating at the best of times.
I honestly think you should try and show them how to use a tablet, even if you can show it to them a bit and leave it there with them they might well learn out of boredom. Or just put a film on before you leave and then they can watch it, they might not be able to watch anything else after but it's a start. There are puzzles and stuff for elderly people online too and apps for people who had strokes with exercises etc. You can charge it at the hospital. Everyone charges their phones/ipads in their bay/room. It does not need PAT testing. That is nonsense.

For the pp suggesting it was ageist to say an elderly person couldn't or would have difficulty using an ipad, etc, how many elderly people do you know?

My mother is 87, completely on the ball: reads, plays bridge, drives, etc., but is stone cold regarding tech. She struggles with a smart phone, won't touch the ipad, etc. She isn't well at present and I've just spent the last 30 minutes setting up and putting essential contacts onto a doro, push button mobile for her so she can easily contact us when she goes into hospital shortly. When there, if she wants a TV, she'll get a TV over hell and high water and if her care is anything other than optimal the matron can whistle whilst I camp outside the CEOs office.

There are many ageist things that can be said but this isn't one of them. It's factual. Providing something other tha n tech is a reasonable adjustment in accordance with the Equality Act (2010).

It would be tricky if the stroke was very incapacitating but it sounds like that's not the case. If they can manage a tablet/ipad/phone Id take one in. I've never been in a hospital where you couldn't recharge devices, but all you need is two decent sized powerbanks to swap over, then bring a charged one in each day. You can take in a device with things like
podcasts, audiobooks, downloaded shows/movies, ebooks on it.

Thank you for all your comments.

An iPad is simply not an option- there is no way they'd be able to use if. They have a button phone and struggle with that!!

The TVs belong to the ward, for 3 weeks I've been told a new one has been ordered but they don't listen when I say the tv in the room works it's the god damn aerial which doesn't - it's a proper wired in aerial too. I don't think a portable one will work as it's a room in the middle of the hospital and the window looks out to the inside of a court yard but I will give that a go today.

It's not just about the aerial/tv of course it's the isolation but this just one thing I know would help.

We've taken puzzle books in, magazines and take a paper in daily. Visiting is 2-4 and 6-8 and we make sure someone goes to both visiting sessions.

Surely even if they are unable to use an ipad or laptop as you leave you could set a show to play for them? That way at least they could watch for a short while after you go.

Perhaps the nursing staff or HCA would also be able to start a show for them to watch.

I don't think you should compain to the hospital, they have better things to be doing. I wouldn't keep going on at the nurses about it either.

At the end of the day, your relative is there to recover and the nurses/staff are there to treat them/facilitate recovery. Take them in some books or a wind up radio.

What about a firestick? Dont need an aerial then?

is there headphones for hospital radio?

Without being rude, I think 3 calls in a week to the ward manager, talking to pals and speaking to nurses on the ward is a bit excessive

These things do take time, often external companies etc

The NHS is really struggling. This just isn't going to be in the top 10 things a ward manager has to do

Equally I'm not sure the above comment about hcas sorting out stuff for people to watch is very likely

can you get a walkman and some story tapes?

try charity shops for walkman/tapes
or tapes might be available from the library.

Depending on what infection your relative has maintenance might not come in anyway. It was like that on a ward I was on .

I had a relative in with a stroke but no tv on ward they had a tv in dining room they could watch but all patients were taken there at different times to watch tv at different times.

But my relative loved a large print word search (basic one with simpler words due to not being able to speak and understand properly) she also loved a teddy to hug, a stress ball and some other fidget toys alongside a mini book of family photos she looks through. She even requested a magazine to flick through which was great she was getting info from pics and maybe the title as appose to understanding the articles. Also when relatives visited we would show her vids on our phones, short clips or play a fav song of hers. It made her stay much more easier

That’s crap from Pals and the ward! I would absolutely submit another complaint, particularly about the nurse, that is completely unacceptable!

I'm a ward manager, I manage complaints and i know Pals at my Trust would never fob anyone off with that advice! Some people go straight to Pals without speaking to me or the matron but it is what it is, Pals job is to deal with the complaints and ensure the relevant department deal with the complaint!

Surely all the patients have a phone charger? Dh did when he was in a general hospital and all ours do in mental health. I would just get a radio and tablet and deal with any consequences🤷‍♀️

Portable dvd player?

And yes HCSW or nurses can and do help patients play stuff on these.

I used to be a nurse on a ward and the TVs were a nightmare. No idea why but the aerials constantly had problems and there was nothing we could do about it if using the tuning in feature on the TV didn't work (and tbh most of my colleagues didn't actually know how to do that).

They will have reported that it isn't working already but like most hospital services the maintenance team will be overstretched and have to prioritise. A TV is classed as low priority compared to something like keeping the heating on or a leak in a bathroom. They always did get to it but it might take a couple of weeks.

When people asked to bring electrical appliances such as radios or ipads in, our official answer had to be no as they aren't pat tested - however we turned a blind eye and pretended not to notice if they just appeared in the patients room.

Just take a small radio and some headphones, or a portable cd player with audio books and you are unlikely to have any issues.

The nurses are likely trying to get a million things done with not enough staff and someone repeatedly asking about a TV when there are medications to be given, pads to change and doctors to speak to is unlikely to get a good response.

For all those saying a TV isn't a priority, if a person's wellbeing isn't prioritised when recovering from a stroke and a hospital caught infection, that's a very poor show.

Also the nurse should not have been aggressive to you, you aren't being unreasonable. I'd complain about the nurse's conduct. Can you find out the name of the Chief Nurse for the hospital and the Head/Director of General Medicine? I'd write a very polite letter with a general timeline of the poor care, the unhelpfulness and failure to return calls and the rudeness from the nurse.

None of it's surprising if the matron has been missing in action.

The medical care my relative has received has been outstanding and the nurses and HCA on the ward have all said they wouldn't be happy if it was their relative and to complain to pals because nothing else gets done. It was just the nurse I spoke to last night who was awful but I guess she probably has a lot on.
I full understand the need for infection control and that TVs aren't priorities but on a rehab ward for a stroke mental stimulation is really important and sitting in a quiet room, alone for the majority of the day isn't providing any stimulation ar all. As I said it's having a detrimental effect on their mental health.
The wards all have TVs and I'm not sure about any of the other side rooms but I'd assume so as this is fixed to the wall.
I'm going to take a radio in I think and just see what they say.

The ironic thing is I work for an electrical testing company, the company who until last year provided PAT testing and other electrical testing for the hospital and the other hospitals in the trust so offered to get any appliances tested as a priority FOC but this wasn't allowed

You can take a radio. You’re allowed to bring phone chargers and laptop chargers in which haven’t been PAT, so why would a radio be any different. A lot are portable or battery operated anyway.

If they can work a remote control, they can surely work an iPad. Just preload their favourite shows and all the have to do is press play.

Unfortunately you really can't rely on that. My mother has always been quite tech-phobic but can use a remote. However, she has never had any interest in computers and, after she had a stroke, there was absolutely zero chance that she'd ever cope with an I-Pad.

You're not in the trust my relative is staying in. I've asked and been told no!

They can work a remote but anything else is a no go.

we had the same OP my relative after a stroke left in a side room, no tv, sometimes the lights off in the middle of the day and he couldn’t talk at the time. Horrible treatment.

take in a radio, and a portable DVD player. You definitely can plug in, but if not as others have suggested take a couple of portable chargers.