Can I sue the hospital?

[Scarletspy]

My grandmother fell out of her chair a week ago (Monday). She didn't hurt herself but her doctor advised I phone an ambulance because she was confused. She had been diagnosed with a urine infection a few days before and was suffering delerium (confusion, sleepiness and hallucinations). She also suffers from vascular dementia. She was taken to a&e and examined and kept in for observation. I told them that she gets very confused and tries to get up and about when she shouldn't (she was very unstable on her feet).

I got a call Tuesday morning letting me know that my nana would be discharged that day as her urine infection could be treated at home. I went to pick her up a few hours later and was told she had fallen again and broken her wrist in 2 places! They were keeping her in.

She was in a single room down the hall from the nurses station. The next day I went in they had her sitting up in a chair unsupervised. She wasn't supposed to be moving unaided but they had left the call button on the other side of the room with no way for get to get to it (so she couldn't ask for help to the toilet.) Again I told the nurses that she forgets she's not capable of getting up alone and will try to move about. When I was in visiting she was trying to get up and chase a mouse she was hallucinating!

Next day I came in she had been moved to a room beside the nurses station because they wanted to keep a closer eye on her. When I came back at night visiting I was told she had fallen again (I think she's pulled a muscle/bruised her ribs this time).

At this point she was given an auxillary to watch over her one on one and has had constant supervision.

My family is very angry about the fact that she was left in a room alone and was able to wander about (and fall twice) when we had warned the staff multiple times about her confusion/dementia and tendency to get up if not supervised.

My nana's going to need a lot of extra help when she gets out of hospital. She's very restricted with what she can do with her cast. Usually she's able to get around the house and do bits of house work (the confusion,etc isn't constant - just happens when she has infection. ) but I think she's going to find it difficult using her zimmer etc.

My mother's getting up in arms about suing the hospital for negligence. Is this possible? Was it negligent to leave her in a room alone with no supervision given the circumstance?

[Scarletspy]

I was watching her but it wasn't a fall as such. She was sitting in her chair and passed out and collapsed out of her seat.

[Roygrace]

So you were with her?

I Am Chinese and would never leave any of my family in hospital alone. The NHS can't look after everyone all the time perfectly but I can certainly Step up and be there

[IAmSeriousAndDontCallMeShirley]

OP I do hope your grandmother is recovering well.

As many others have said, best thing you can do is to make a formal compliant to the hospital. You should be able to find links easily to do so on those website.
Hospitals have to respond and properly investigate complaints, and they do lead to change and improvement.

I work in the NHS and have seen some really brilliant change brought about in this way. It is sad that it it happened in the first place however.
Also to echo over posters, it's unlikely that these things were done maliciously. We often can't put patients in the most appropriate beds (or even the right wards) due to severe bed pressures. I don't think that many people understand just how much pressure the NHS is really under. It's not an excuse for poor care, just trying to explain the state of things.
Complaints are also passed up the chain, we pass all of ours up to NHSE in the hope that we might get more resource for some of our initiatives.

Hope this helps- sorry for the ramble.