What are the NHS thinking...

[hollie1586]

my elderly next door neighbour was discharged from hospital on friday after being admitted a few days earlier for broken ribs and bleeding into his chest cavity which he sustained from a fall and this morning i noticed that they had actually left the cannula in his arm and also his chest drain was leaking! how can they miss taking out a cannula? he could have ended up with a terrible infection! is this neglect or what?

[hollie1586]

yes...we got the district nurse to come this morning!

[ummmm]

My Uncle wasn't even fed while he was in hospital. He was in for 3 months and couldn't move his arms. They put the food in front of him and took it away uneaten, not being able to, or caring to, understand his Irish accent.

We set up camp....much to the nurses annoyance. We looked after him the whole 3 months and watched and seen some shameful things...

They neglect but it all depends on what ward you're on....some are great and some are like a soup kitchen. My uncle caught body lice in hospital....

[daffy654]

Chest drains quite often leak,as long as the tube is in properly and the dressing is reapplied then it is nothing to worry about. Ask the nurse to check the stitches that are holding the drain tube in place. The cannula may have been left in on purpose to enable the district nurse to administer any drugs that may be required.

[Sqad]

hollie....in neither case could it be considered neglect, but in the case of the cannula in the arm......carelessness.

[ummmm]

Poodi...well he wasn't looked after. When discharged from hospital and still very poorly, he moved in with me. Me and my kids looked after him and we didn't get one visit from a nurse. The doctors surgery took him off their books because we complained about the doctor who miss diagnosed him.

The hospital were very good with his after care and explaining everything to me as his carer.

[daffy654]

Sqad,I have been discharged from hospital on more than one occasion with a cannula still in my arm,it was (as I said to hollie before) so that the district nurse could administer intravenous drugs easily.I have never been discharged with a chest drain still in place though despite having had several over the years.

[Sqad]

daffy...we don't know the full medical details here.......as you say, the cannula may well have been left in for IV drugs.

Chest drain.........unknown whether or not if it is draining fluid or pus. I suppose if the drain was outside the pleura and into an abscess, then living it in situ for the district nurse to deal with might well be acceptable, but as you say, if the drain is into the pleural cavity, the it is reprehensible to discharge her from hospital.

[zzxxee]

should get in touch with the ward manager to offer an explaination