Mostly excellent service from local GPs, out-of-hours clinic and hospital (albeit long waits in A&E and it is a 40-minute drive with virtually no parking). Recently mixed service after calling 111 and 999 (the latter last week) for DH who suffered a fall 8 weeks ago and became almost totally bedbound. He was already on a wait list for neuropathic physio but still on it 11 months later - at nearly 80 he will probably never get it. Excellent service from Elderly Care team, physio visits twice-weekly, hospita; bed and other equipment arrived same day, emergency home carers for 3 weeks. All served to get him out of bed daily and walking short distances indoors with a rollator. Until a week ago when late at night I noticed him slumped sideways in his chair, eyes shut, unresponsive to my voice. He rallied slightly but I was already ringing 999. They told me a wait of at least 4 hours. An on-call medic appeared after 30 mins and performed various tests (bp/pulse/responsiveness etc and ambulance arrived after an hour. They performed more tests and agreed to admit him.
I told them he was largely immobile but they wheeled a high bed to our front door which he had to hoist himself onto (he can't do that) with a gap across the threshold of about ten inches. I had to manhandle him onto it myself and he was clearly PETRIFIED that he was going to fall. The paramedics did little to assist me and I wrenched my shoulder while doing it. Off to hospital, put into a side-room in A&E and left there for 3 hrs before seeing a doctor, who ordered a CT scan. Made to climb out of bed onto a trolley, made to climb onto the scanner (nearly fell both times), wheeled back to bed. A few other bedside tests and remained in bed on his back for the next 14 hours. No commode provided so had to wet himself and wait for his (provided) pad to be changed. Not moved position for those 14 hrs. Was discharged with "no abnormality detected" but didn't get home for another 6 hrs. Was given some meagre unappetising food which he couldn't sit up to eat. The result of all this was he has not walked since. Has lost the use of the muscles to sit himself up,, suffers a new pain in his side (suspect muscular) and only today has managed to use his rollator to walk about ten very tiny paces before becoming exhausted and scared. Two months of kind useful physio down the pan. He can now barely manage to get on the commode (was doing well before this, with minor help). His confidence and will have both taken a severe hit. If someone had just asked him what was best for him while in bed he would have told them. Lie on his right side, knees slightly bent and help to sit on the edge of the bed for a short while (ten mins) every couple of hours. He could then use a urine bottle at least (by himself).
Brought home at 10 p.m. and left to me to manhandle him to bed. What a trauma it was for him - and me. He still lolls to his left (used to be to his right before that) and still can't walk safely with his rollator.
I could cry and indeed I have.
