Covid ward and communication

[Partey]

A close relative was admitted to hospital on Sunday with Covid. She has COPD and suspected lung cancer. She was awaiting scan results when she caught Covid.

A nurse was able to update us on Monday and said she was very poorly, we’ve heard nothing since and the ward phone just rings out. The hospital reception are unable do anything other than transfer calls to the ward and will only accept phone calls from her husband(totally understandable)

This really isn’t an NHS bashing thread, I one million per cent understand how busy and stressful working on the ward will be.

My relative is alone, probably terrified and is without her husband of fifty years. No one even available to pass a little message to her or update her family about her condition. We just want her to know we love her.

How has it come to this?

Ah, I wonder whether it is possible to facetime her on an iPad or similar? It was possible to do this sort of thing in March 2020 on the ward I was working on then (mind you, it was fairly well staffed all things considered).

In my trust you can email messages and photos in that will be printed and taken to the patient. Might be worth phoning PALS and asking if they do this. I say PALS because if the ward are not answering it's the next best thing. I appreciate how hard it is for relatives phoning to no answer. I hear the phone ringing and really want to answer it but I can then be taken away from my patients for anything up to 45 minutes sometimes !! I really hope you get some answers soon.

But they'd have to get through to the ward to be able to do that?
OP I suggest you contact PALS at the hospital.

Can someone not just go to the hospital and ask how they're doing?

Usually wards limit messaging to one person in the family only, if they are speaking to her husband he can pass on your messages? Send a card? Or a gift but once you know how she is. The wards are so short staffed just now - we have so many people off isolating or waiting for pcr tests it’s really busy on the floor. Someone usually answers the phone but if 2/3 relatives from every patient in a 24 bedded ward call per day it takes time that we don’t have just now. Which is rubbish I agree. Perhaps try in the morning if there’s a ward clerk on? I hope your relative is on the mend soon so worrying op

I know it's a sorry state. Pals will be able to help.

@Iamkmackered1979 we are limiting it to her husband, not even he has had an answer since Monday. We don’t know if she’s ventilated, don’t know anything really. He doesn’t want to bother anyone but is going out of his mind. Not for himself but for her, just for someone to whisper a little message to her for some comfort. I can’t get my head around how it’s not possible, A lady who possibly won’t ever go home not being able to hear the words of her family who adore her.

I did mention PALS to him earlier. I may send an email and ask them to read it to her if they can.
Im crushed

That's awful, they should update at least daily

If they have ventilated her, relatives would definitely be informed of any deterioration in her condition. I know they’re busy but that’s bad form, we would be killed by our ward sister if we let the phone ring no matter how busy we got, it’s odd they don’t have a ward clerk?

Possibly lost ward clerk to staff covid or similar hence no answers. Has he tried ringing after shift change at 9? Often you can get the night staff then who might have a moment more. Also most hospitals have volunteers now who take in personal items and messages, they’re normally at the main entrance

Her husband should ring and see how she is and ask for them to ring with updates on her condition. Unfortunately they won’t ring him unless they need to. There was a post a while ago, where someone’s MIL was in hospital and they were not contacted for a few days, as soon as they made contact, they were telephoned daily. Please get her husband to call and pass on a message and to find out the situation, yes they are busy, but they will want to update him.

My brother is in ICU and we get regular daily updates, my sister in law calls daily and we manage to get a video up on the ipad to see him when possible but he's on an ECMO machine so has one to one care and more communication for that reason.

Not acceptable. I would get her husband to ring every half hour today. If no success by afternoon, get in touch with PALS.

My dad is in hospital. In his 90s severely frail, has covid amongst a whole host of other things. His notes say all updates to DB as mum has alzheimers and forgets/doesn't understand. Every time he goes in we have to point this out. DB actually had them put the phone down on him as mum had already phoned. Yes, we do tell her not to phone, not only does she not remember that she forgets she has already phoned so will call several times a day. If they update DB the rest of us take it in turns to call her and tell her what is happening several times a day to stop her calling the hospital. But every time he goes in, and it's frequent, we have to remind them. It took 4 days before he managed to have that conversation this time.

I agree PALS. They are not just there for complaints but also to advise. You could ring them and explain her husband's position, ask what the procedure is for maintaining contact, ask for a named person to liase with. They won't disclose anything about the patient to you but you can ask them to contact the husband.

All I have to say is that just reading this has broken my heart. What an awful situation to be in.

I really hope you get some answers OP and wishing your family member all the best.

@WineGetsMeThroughIt

Can someone not just go to the hospital and ask how they're doing?

You can't just turn up at my hospital, they'd be inundated. You have to make an appointment with the nurse in charge.

Bit difficult to make an appointment if you can't get to speak to anyone.

Stupid question, but are patients not allowed mobile phones? Can you call her directly. Assuming she's not ventilated or some such treatment and can talk.

It is normal to only have one point of contact per patient. If her husband gets updates he can pass it on. Unfortunately she may be too poorly to communicate by phone or video call.

I hope your relative's husband has had an update now OP - so awful to not have any news (though not the HCPs fault at all - they're simply too stretched). Sending .

Try the chaplaincy. It's non-denominational and a chaplain was amazing when I had a very elderly relative in hospital. They visited and phoned me back to relate messages. Like your situation, OP, the ward phone just rang and rang. It was so distressing.

Thank you all.

We’ve been updated today and it’s actually positive! She is improving Covid wise by some miracle!

Unfortunately she’s a total technophobe, she hasn’t ever had a mobile. She’s never even used a cash point and find Sat Nav completely bewildering

For now we are taking comfort in her somehow beating Covid given her other issues

Honestly I’ve felt totally hopeless these late few days. It helped to vent here so thank you again