Looking for feedback on Kings College Hospital

[Peckhampam]

Hallo,

I am the public Governor for Kings College Hospital for Southwark Central which includes East Dulwich. My role is to represent local members of the trust and also local residents. So if you have any feedback on the hospital's performance, either positive or negative, whcih you would like me to take forward, please do contact me. it is only through feedback from the people that use the service that the hospital can know how they are doing, what needs praising and what needs changing.

Pam

[PeckhamRose]

Good for you Pam. Were you at the meeting at the Ortus Centre the other evening? I found it a tad questionable. The sort of meeting you feel execs feel they have to have a meeting for the sake of saying they had a public meeting, unnecessary expensive biscuits etc., yet really they are the experts whonhave already made up minds as to the future path.... I still neve had a full reply to my complaint dealing with why l had a discharge letter saying l had had drugs that l did not have!

[Peckhampam]

Hi,

I'm not sure why this post was moved to the lounge but I tracked it down.

No I wasn't at that meeting. Shame you didn't find it useful but it is always good to make sure your voice is heard. It can change directions but even if it doesn't you know that you tried.

Let me know if you want me to chase up your complaint. Or if it is that you got a reply but weren't happy with it, I would urge you to carry on through the complaints procedure.

Pam

[PeckhamRose]

I can't be ars e d to continue. Living life. A physio said when I told her about it, that if I was unhappy with the care I could choose to go to another hospital! I do what I can....

[louisemurray]

I have nothing but praise for my 5 year treatment and 3 year followup at the Kings breast cancer unit.

Truly superb.

[PeckhamRose]

Went to same dept the other day, with different doctor and various attendants, and it was completely different. He was kind and explanatory and showed how well I have been doing and made me feel very positive! It is all down to people being allowed to be personable and kind and intelligent.

[JohnL]

Doctors are all different though

My consultant surgeon at kings reminded me of a famous football manager in looks and behaviour :)

All went well though.

PeckhamRose Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Went to same dept the other day, with different

> doctor and various attendants, and it was

> completely different. He was kind and explanatory

> and showed how well I have been doing and made me

> feel very positive! It is all down to people being

> allowed to be personable and kind and intelligent.

[intexasatthe moment]

They shouldn't all be that different . They should have professionalism in common .

[Growlybear]

I have also had a very, very positive experience of the Breast Care Unit at King's, and the vast majority of staff are wonderful and so caring. All of the treatment I have had at King's relating to my breast cancer has been excellent. However, my experiences of A&E couldn't have been more different. When my husband was admitted last year by ambulance after he collapsed, I really can't believe that he could have had worse treatment at any other hospital. The nursing staff were unbelievably rude both in A&E and the ward where he was moved overnight. It then took five months for him to receive a follow up appointment despite the intervention of PALS. I have had several experiences for my own medical emergencies at A&E which have also been dire. I can't think of any circumstances when I would willingly go to King's A&E when there is a choice of Lewisham and St Thomas'.

[Sue]

That is so sad to hear, because on the only occasion I have had to go to King's A&E, every single person who looked after me - both doctors and nurses - could not have been more lovely and caring.

[Pugwash]

I have been to Kings A & E twice in 15 years - both times could not fault them. The only criticism was that , I was taken into A& E early morning with a suspected heart attack, that was quickly ruled out and other tests undertaken, around 3 pm I mentioned that I was a diabetic and had not eaten since the night before and could I go out of the unit to purchase something to eat. The male nurse who was dealing with me was very apologetic as the previous nurse should have noted my diabetic status earlier and got me some sandwiches as my blood sugars were low.

[minder]

My Mum was treated at King's for her breast cancer (treatment began Oct 11) BUT looking back there was very good, good and quite bad! This was not just in that dept. but in the aftercare, secondary and A&E depts. and then on the wards.

Months after her breast cancer was FINALLY diagnosed in Oct 11 (she had been treated for an infection under the armpit for ages), my Mum was due for her day surgery and I noticed on her records that the surgery team had the WRONG breast due for surgery! This was the day before the op but me and my sisters were reassured everything was ok.

Little did we know that after dropping her off to King's Day Surgery at 7.30am, my poor Mum (78 but 10 years younger) was made to travel from the Day Surgery over to the main hospital, on her own, in a hospital gown, for the necessary x-rays to confirm for the team to operate. If my family had known she had to do this on her own we would have been there for her.

She told us this after her surgery but we were too concerned about her recovery and forward treatment (which was another matter).

[The Minkey]

I have attended Kings A&E numerous times over the past couple of years as escort to an elderly friend. The first time I took her in following her second fall in a week, with an undiagnosed gallbladder infection. She had a big lump on her side which they said needed scanning but they were prepared to release her home that night and let the GP arrange for scans. I kicked up a polite fuss and said I didn't think it safe to send her home given she was running a fever and was extremely unwell in my opinion. Fortunately, they listened as the overnight obs proved that to be the case. She stayed in for 5 1/2 weeks. During that time, although the nursing staff were great, her food and drink placed within reach etc (unlike a previous stay in Lewisham), although I was listed as next of kin to be able to deal with her doctors, I found it very difficult to find someone who could report on her prognosis/progress and eventually resorted to making an appointment to talk to one of the doctors responsible for her care.

During the course of her stay, because she'd become extremely confused, she was given a brain scan. I was told the results were OK only to find out during a chance conversation a couple of weeks later, the scans had showed changes consistent with an Alz type dementia. This was the first time it was mentioned. Her memory had been getting a bit flaky but at 96, that's not so unusual and we hadn't been too worried about it.

So communication and quality of that communication proved to be an issue. Not only in the hospital but afterwards when a referral to the Memory Team failed to materialise and she recieved no care in that area until I got social services involved last year. This was a great pity as we hadn't been made aware there were medications that could be given that could slow down the progression of the Alz. and so they weren't begun until 18 months or so after the diagnosis by which time it was much more overt.

It was decided not to put her through the ordeal of a gallbladder removal given her advanced age so she was fitted with a choloplast bag to contain exudate from her gallbladder which was draining through a hole in her abdomen. We weren't told it would need changing. It remained in place until it began stinking to high heaven, a smell of rot so strong, it hit you as you walked through her front door. The Community Nursing team hadn't been informed it needed changing, or that they'd need to order the bags. Fortunately, the day after I went round there, noticed the smell, disposed of the bag, got her cleaned up as best as possible, and applied a temporary dressing, she had an appt for a liver scan so I contacted Suite 7 who said to bring her in directly after her scan to be checked over. Again, a situation arising from poor communication but top points for flexibility and fitting her in without an appointment.

She's had several falls since then, some of which have required her to be checked over at A&E, with variable results. One time, having been in A&E for some time already, I left her in a cubicle having informed a nurse she needed a bedpan. Having waited for it to arrive, I thought it safe to go get a sandwich, I returned 10 minutes or so later, to find the call light on outside her room and the poor woman scarlet in the face still holding herself up off the full pan with shaking arms because no one had responded to the alarm. Another time, she was sent in by her GP for IV antibiotics to try get on top of the cellulitis that had developed on one of her legs due to a skin break she got during a fall. The oral antibiotics weren't cutting it. She was sent home instead with another prescription for oral antibiotics. As dementia can be made so much worse in the presence of infection with the risk a person may not return to baseline function, it was very frustrating as indeed she was experiencing a more profound episode of dementia while the cellulitis was present. I didn't get the impression the doctor who saw her was aware of the implications. Thing is, a timely intervention could make all the difference for a dementia sufferer living alone as progression due to infection with the possibility of permanent worsening could result in them having to go into a care home.

A major issue with Kings is patient transport waiting times. Back then at the tailend of 2011, the target waiting time for patients to wait to go home was set at 1 hour, but we often waited 2 hours or more in the departure lounge area. We spoke to people who had been there 3 hours or more. Had she been on her own, there would have been no one to ask for water or to assist a person with mobility issues to get to the toilet. The estimated waiting time is now 2 hours if I remember correctly from a recent appointment. I think it's fantastic there is transport for patients unable to get there under their own steam, but the stress of these prolonged waiting times in an unfamiliar environment exacerbates the dementia and it takes days for them to get back to baseline with all the extra care that involves.

A couple of weeks ago, at almost 98 years of age, she had her first appointment at King's Elderly Care Assessment Unit. It couldn't have been more different, a dedicated transport team meant she was able to make a timely return journey home. It made all the difference to her subsequent well being and recovery from the journey to hospital. A couple of days ago, her GP referred her for another hospital appointment. I asked it it might be possible for her to be referred through the Elderly Care Unit again seeing as they are equipped to deal with such elderly people and it would make attending an appointment a much less traumatic experience. I dearly wish it could be possible, but I doubt it will be.

Sorry for the length of this, and it's rather stream of consciousness nature. I have to go out and don't have time to compose a more concise/eloquent response. My own experience of Kings - by which I mean my own appointments at Haemotology and the Breast Clinic have been good but I'm able to get there under my own steam.

I've a niggling feeling I've missed something important, I'll post later if I remember what it is.

[The Minkey]

Ah yes, the standard thing if you end up in A&E is that everyone who arrives to attend to you asks a very similar set of questions. To someone with dementia, this can be extremely tiring and worsens confusion - in my friend's case, she simply becomes unable to answer so I do it for her. However, I dread to think how she would fare if I weren't there to fill in the gaps in her memory. So it would be useful when dealing with dementia patients, if any information gathered during the visit could be noted then subsequent people could refer to it without the need to ask the patient the same questions all over again.

[fatfightersforever]

Hi Pam we had a brilliant experience with A&E on xmas day, staff wonderful, caring and spot on with diagnosis of my daughter's serious condition and urgent admission. Afraid the ward experience was patchy, some brilliant staff others a bit lacking in compassion and worryingly didn't seem to know anything about her condition or treatment. Overall we were very happy and relieved to be near Kings as she received the right treatment and very quickly despite it being xmas. Happy to answer any further questions if you PM me. We remain big supporters of Kings!

[brezzo]

Pam, I had reason to call the MRI today.

To cut a long story short, I was disappointed at reception staff who refused to tell me how long I would wait for a scan and couldn't tell me what the targets or expectations were. I looked on website and no sign of how long patients should expect to wait. I I don't think this lack of information would be acceptable n other areas of public life.

[minder]

The Minkey, your friend is very lucky to have you there. I can't imagine if my Dad had to be booked into A&E on his own with his dementia, especially if an elderly person has any kind of infection.

My Dad left King's last week after a 10 day stay in King's. He had a kidney infection which sent him into delirium for a couple of days.

King's were very good but basic things like eating his food seemed to be overlooked, even though a dietician was put into plan.

Luckily I was there one evening when he hadn't received his dinner. The other patients in the ward had all had theirs by 6pm. There was nobody around except a young boy in a white overall (sorry, probably a trainee) who apologised and went and found a meal for my Dad, who wolfed it down!

[KestonKid]

For some years now I have accompanied a very elderly lady for her regular appointments at the Eye Department, and she always tells me that the care she has received there over many years has been exemplary.

I myself have been through A&E as a patient once, and found the same kindness and professionalism that is shown in 24 Hours in A&E (to which I am devoted)!

One minor grouch though. Over the last couple of years I have separately accompanied two people to A&E, both experiencing severe abdominal pain. Both cried throughout their one-hour-plus wait (after triage) and although I enquired at the desk, more than once, whether some pain relief could be administered I was told not.

However, when I recently took up the cudgels about this, and finally reached the matron in charge of A&E, I was told to my surprise that the policy is that pain relief should be given in such circumstances. He was unable though to tell me why this had not happened in my cases, except to suggest that "there must have been sort of mis-communication".

But other than that I have, as a patient, found nothing whatever to complain about.

[reren]

Truly brilliant pre / post and during (not sure if that's the way to put it) natal care. I've experienced both amazing community midwife support as well as a great hospital experience. One thing that i loved after having my first baby at kings is that as they wheeled me out of the labour ward at 3 in the morning after a long difficult labour we passed various cleaners, nurses, and other staff working in the hospital - every one of them called out a heartfelt congratulations - and it was one of the most touching things I've ever experienced. Considering how run-of-the-mill it must be to them to see yet another newborn I was so touched that they took the time to congratulate me and make the experience - which of course was anything but run-of-the-mill for me - even more special. This continued the next day when every member of staff I encountered congratulated me (ladies who brought my food, midwives, etc). I assume someone must have encouraged this as a policy and I thought it showed a very well run and thoughtful institution. I will never forget that aspect of giving birth at kings and will always treasure it.

[EDmummy]

Reren, that bought me to tears. I also feel incredibly privileged to have an amazing hospital on our doorstep. Saved both my boys at birth. I've lived in countries where health care is not free and I find the attitude of people in the UK astonishing. Ok, so it's not perfect (what is?), but how many businesses are genuinely interested in improvement like the NHS? We should fight to keep what we've got but also be a critical friend.

[sofaRunner]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Doctors are all different though

>

> My consultant surgeon at kings reminded me of a

> famous football manager in looks and behaviour :)

>

> All went well though.

>

> PeckhamRose Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Went to same dept the other day, with different

> > doctor and various attendants, and it was

> > completely different. He was kind and

> explanatory

> > and showed how well I have been doing and made

> me

> > feel very positive! It is all down to people

> being

> > allowed to be personable and kind and

> intelligent.

[mr smith]

I used A&E in 2010 and was pretty pleased all round, though found it strange that I was encouraged to keep the crutches I was given even though I offered to return them.

I've recently spent time at the maternity department, hence the time of this message! Very impressed with everything and everybody in the hospital, but found midwives and health visitors to be worryingly incompetent for the most part. On occasion I felt better informed than some of these people! I know, for example, that babies are meant to be placed on their back to sleep. Hopefully this area can improve.

[Peckhampam]

Thanks to all who have posted or sent me pm's. Feedback is invaluable for any organisation and I will try and make sure your comments get to the right people.. If you have individual issues you wish to take up, that staff at the time have not been able to help with, then The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)can help-tel 020 3299 3601. They can also help you make a formal complaint. But for general issues please do carry on posting here or getting in touch with me.

Pam

[dildals]

I find the scans at the Harris birthright centre v good. They take a lot of time to look at every thing and it is the same service as you would get from a private scan.

[indya]

Hi. This about A&E. I feel a few easy things could improve a patient's experience. I was taken to A&E by ambulance yesterday with severe abdominal pains. On arrival the ambulance crew gave details to the sister. She did not once look in my direction let alone say hello. She then walked past me, again totally ignoring me and signalled to the paramedics to put me outside a cubicle in majors till it became free. It did and they wheeled me in there leaving me with a kind remark. I don't know how long I was in there without anyone coming in. The pain was terrible and at times I was howling. I began to think no one would ever come. Eventually a nurse (agency I think) came in and said "has no one been in to you?" She then asked me about my pain and went straight to get me pain relief from the doctor. Then the doctor came and saw to me very well. They were both kind and attentive and professional. I do feel however, that acknowledgement of my existence on arrival and a set of obs taken would have made me feel I was being cared for. A hello and a smile and some reassurance I know from my own nursing days go a long way to making the patient feel more comfortable instead of a bit of a nuisance. A small thing but invaluable and doesn't cost anyone anything. Oh and they weren't particularly busy.