Dirty wards. If you notify a nursing assistant about a pill lying on the floor, they pick it up and put it on someone's tray. First of all, it should go on no one's tray, it should be thrown out. Secondly, how do you know whose tray to put it on? Patient files were sitting in open hanging file carts in the hallway outside the Emergency Room examining rooms.
We were there during the remodel. No food, empty vending machines, no canteen. Cold water only, and no paper towels in the bathrooms near the vending area/taxi waiting room. Trash bins were overflowing. Floor was being replaced in entry hallway...tiles were pulled up and a piece of toast sat on the floor for one week. What appeared to be feces on the wall in the ward, next to someone's bed, and mashed potatoes.
Our loved one's IV fell out at 5:50 one morning and we could not get anyone, despite multiple requests throughout the day, to re-insert it. Staff kept saying they were waiting for a "doctor" to come do it. At 6:30 at night no one had come yet. 13 hours with no IV fluid. Patient asked for 3 weeks to have a shampoo; they kept promising they would do it, but never did, not even once. Many times had to help the patient to the bathroom during the first week of the stay, as staff was too busy with other patients, despite putting in multiple requests. Kept serving patient "ice cream" with artificial sweeteners which were exacerbating an intestinal issue and preventing multiple scheduled evacuations. Patient would be cleared for evacuation by a doctor and nursing staff would then give conflicting reports to the evacuation company. Asked multiple times to have the patient transferred to another hospital, as the patient had insurance. Was told they are all teaching hospitals. Also asked, multiple times, to have the patient transferred to intensive care unit and was told the patient was too old.
Had to leave the ward every day when the patients had nap time, when a bell was rung. No where to go when the bell for nap time rang - no place to sit, except one bench outside where the taxis picked up. The bench would seat 3 people, and it was always filled with smokers. All the pretty courtyards off the main hallways were locked, could not go out there to sit either. Literally no place to buy food if you were there as a loved one all day, and no place to sit. Had to walk the hallways during the nap time. One small chair to sit at the bedside, and was not allowed to stay there overnight. Notified the desk at the nursing station that I was afraid patient would aspirate - and it happened.
Asked many times to have patient transferred to a private pay hospital, as we had insurance, and they would not do it. Prayer room was constantly locked; when you followed the directions on the sign to go to a certain place to have it unlocked, there was no one there. When arriving at the Plaistow town hall to register the death certificate it was discovered the hospital had given us another patient's death certificate, causing another cab ride back to the hospital for the correct one, then back to the town hall. read more
