Health & Safety: a Trump Card?
Discussion
The father-in-law went in for a quadruple bypass; surgery went fairly well and he appeared to be on course for a text book recovery (he's 78).
He spent a short time in ICU and we all felt quite encouraged when after three days, he was transferred to HDU (at this point, they also suggested that he may even be in a position to be going home after a few more days). So far so good. But 48 hours after being in HDU, there was an incident.
A few conflicting stories, but the basis of it is that he was taken for a short walk but after just a few metres, he felt dizzy/weak, so they sat him in a wheelchair and took him back to his bed. Between the chair and the bed we're told he, "took a fall" and hit his head. CPR was then administered and then he was rushed into theatre for emergency surgery. They didn't inform my wife or his wife (my wife's step mother). We only got to know when we called for a routine, 'how is he doing?' phone call.
Since learning of this incident, one nurse has said he hit his head on the floor. Another said it was against the bed frame; a third said it was on a machine (catheter) and then one of them even stated that (at the op theatre) they didn't even know he'd had a head injury.
So now he's back in ICU with a neck brace on, head bandaged and pretty much back to where he was after the initial surgery only this time, his odds on making it have drastically been reduced. They were taking him for a CT scan and X-ray as one nurse said, "to cover our backs" and then another said later, "because it was a head injury, to make sure there is no clotting on the brain or skull fracture" (this later turned into a precautionary, but routine procedure because his heart had stopped).
It's no time to be focussing on who/what/how, but you can't avoid the obvious questions. One of the doctors came out and gave us a very measured and 'covers all objections' statement (he ended each sentence with, 'OK?'). TBF, he was very believable, but the fall has now been trivialised as "secondary" to a "cardiac episode". They are now holding up the Health & Safety card: apparently it's policy let a falling patient fall. The FiL's nurse also referred to this when she said, "we have to think of our backs when..."
As yet, no report has come from the incident and we don't want to call PALS in just yet, but if there was a simple explanation, it may never have been necessary.
A patient in ICU/HDU who clearly wasn't feeling well after a quad bypass, how was he ever in a position to fall and smack his head?!
He spent a short time in ICU and we all felt quite encouraged when after three days, he was transferred to HDU (at this point, they also suggested that he may even be in a position to be going home after a few more days). So far so good. But 48 hours after being in HDU, there was an incident.
A few conflicting stories, but the basis of it is that he was taken for a short walk but after just a few metres, he felt dizzy/weak, so they sat him in a wheelchair and took him back to his bed. Between the chair and the bed we're told he, "took a fall" and hit his head. CPR was then administered and then he was rushed into theatre for emergency surgery. They didn't inform my wife or his wife (my wife's step mother). We only got to know when we called for a routine, 'how is he doing?' phone call.
Since learning of this incident, one nurse has said he hit his head on the floor. Another said it was against the bed frame; a third said it was on a machine (catheter) and then one of them even stated that (at the op theatre) they didn't even know he'd had a head injury.
So now he's back in ICU with a neck brace on, head bandaged and pretty much back to where he was after the initial surgery only this time, his odds on making it have drastically been reduced. They were taking him for a CT scan and X-ray as one nurse said, "to cover our backs" and then another said later, "because it was a head injury, to make sure there is no clotting on the brain or skull fracture" (this later turned into a precautionary, but routine procedure because his heart had stopped).
It's no time to be focussing on who/what/how, but you can't avoid the obvious questions. One of the doctors came out and gave us a very measured and 'covers all objections' statement (he ended each sentence with, 'OK?'). TBF, he was very believable, but the fall has now been trivialised as "secondary" to a "cardiac episode". They are now holding up the Health & Safety card: apparently it's policy let a falling patient fall. The FiL's nurse also referred to this when she said, "we have to think of our backs when..."
As yet, no report has come from the incident and we don't want to call PALS in just yet, but if there was a simple explanation, it may never have been necessary.
A patient in ICU/HDU who clearly wasn't feeling well after a quad bypass, how was he ever in a position to fall and smack his head?!
Is it not feasible that he had another cardiac event after the short walk causing him to collapse? Thus necessitating further cardiac intervention or CPR.
It is generally understood that to allow a patient to 'fall' unaided causes less injury than to try to 'catch' them.
It may help for you to speak with PALS, they should be able to provide some explanation as to what happened from the notes, and why you were not informed of the incident in a timely manner, which may help you.
It is generally understood that to allow a patient to 'fall' unaided causes less injury than to try to 'catch' them.
It may help for you to speak with PALS, they should be able to provide some explanation as to what happened from the notes, and why you were not informed of the incident in a timely manner, which may help you.
I speak from experience having had a quad bypass some 20 years ago, IIRC 48 hours after I had my op they had me walking! I had a full sunroof job, no keyhole stuff in those days.
OK I was half your Dads age but then it was the norm to get you mobile ASAP, helps to re-kick start your systems after the op.
OK I was half your Dads age but then it was the norm to get you mobile ASAP, helps to re-kick start your systems after the op.
Glassman said:
...and because he did not fracture his skull, this also comes with a degree of luck?
Probably... But with a nurse or physio trying to catch him- it's a natural instinct to grab, for example, under the arms to try to hold a person up- he could also have ended up with a shoulder injury as well, and the healthcare worker injured also. I fully understand that the welfare of healthcare staff is not your priority but it is probably one of the priorities of your NHS Trust due to sickness and potential litigation.Perhaps if he suffered another cardiac event, everything was happening very fast and the staff were trying to get him in a position to provide immediate treatment ie CPR in order to sustain life.
I'm not saying what has happened is right but you need to ensure you have the full facts and full explanation from the people that were there at the time not those that have heard it second or third hand via staff handover or summation of their view of what may have happened.
Latest is, FiL had a cardiac episode whilst in the chair. He was with the nurse and a physio. They took him out of the chair to lay him on the ground. Physio was supporting FiL's head but lost his hold when he tried to move the wheelchair out of the way.
This, they're now saying, is how the head injury came about.
This, they're now saying, is how the head injury came about.
Had this account filtered through, there may not have been any reason to feel like something is being covered up.
The person in charge of the ward (sister) is now off sick. The people involved in the incident appear to be hiding as nobody knows what has happened to the report, or even if there is one. Ergo - we don't know who's who in all this.
Bit of a shambles.
The person in charge of the ward (sister) is now off sick. The people involved in the incident appear to be hiding as nobody knows what has happened to the report, or even if there is one. Ergo - we don't know who's who in all this.
Bit of a shambles.
God that sounds awful, I'm really sorry. Hope your FIL is on the road to recovery again.
You can talk to PALS without setting in motion any kind of formal 'action' - the folk who man the advice lines are good listeners and know lots, they're a good bunch to ring up and mull things over with and may be able to suggest avenues of enquiry that haven't come up yet.
K77 CTR said:
Ask for a meeting with the consultant in charge of his care to get all the facts or the ward manager (more senior than ward sister, maybe matron of department)
This. But definitely go for ward manager not consultant. Consultant will know plenty (hopefully!) about his heart and not much at all about what happened the other day. Ward managers are senior nurses, it's their job to oversee ALL of a patient's care and these are the people who will have the answers. You can talk to PALS without setting in motion any kind of formal 'action' - the folk who man the advice lines are good listeners and know lots, they're a good bunch to ring up and mull things over with and may be able to suggest avenues of enquiry that haven't come up yet.
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff