Can i pleaseee post this here?

Yes Jess - urology department. I think you are spot on when you say there's been an oversight as far as communication goes. Consultant with duty doc - hospital with GP - hospital with chronic pain team - etc. The only helpful thing was contacting the GP practice/district nurse team because I had sickly GD there for appointment about throat infection/cfs! If I hadn't been in the right place at the right time, I don't know how long it would have taken for things to get in place. As it is, still no definite diagnosis, no indication of how they will wind down the morphine. no idea how long she'll need 24/7 catheters. All this along with chronic RA and 2 toddlers. Aaaaaaaaah!

em I don't know what hospital practice is like near you, but here in some of the hospitals in Manchester, they often advise patients who have been discharged to contact the ward with problems within a few days of discharge, leaving a message for the consultant to get when he does his ward round - the consultant will then phone the patient at home and they get chance to discuss the problem. They also tell them to come in to the ward when phone calls are made that lead to a hospital visit, to curtail the messing about via A and E or admissions - if a bed is needed, they will speak to the bed manager from the ward to explain. It does create some tension and occasional waiting for a bed, but seems to work better than going round the houses every time. Usually the ward sister will know the patient well enough to be able to determine what is needed. It certainly sounds like your daughetr needs to be in urgent touch with the correct consultant.

Perhaps the British stoicism and reluctance to complain can lead to poor service. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. I wish I had been more foreceful on the night my daughter came close to death. Sometimes you just have to forget politeness and shout.

I agree greatnan - it is very difficult to do so though. It sometimes feels as if medical and nursing staff have had special training in shutting people up. Specially if you are a relative.
Oh em , really hard. Keep reminding yourself that the consultant is your servant and that he/she gets paid by taxpayers. Sometimes they will ring you back if you leave a message in the ward, or they do have secretaries as well if you can track them down.

I so agree greatnan when my lovely mum was left at meal times unable to feed herself (I was told by a patient in the opposite bed) I made it my business to complain to the ward staff that I was not impressed at all,the following day when I went in to visit after travelling from Standish where I was based to Arrowpark Hospital during rush hour through Liverpool (not in the best of moods) I was hauled into the Ward Sisters office and told if I wanted to complain I was not to do it on the ward in front of other patients and their visitors but to make an appointment and discuss mums diet with the dietition,I did not want the dietition only someone to make sure she could reach her food tray,they registered me as a disruptive relative and where very off with me for the rest of the time mum was in their ward.

That is outrageous glammanana
Appropriate response would be: Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention and I will make sure it does not happen again.
It is usually more subtle, variants on the theme of palming you off so you will shut up and go away.

The only publication I trust is Private Eye and they did an eight page supplement some months ago on what happens to whistle blowers in the NHS. They are often ostracised, bullied, and have allegations made against them. When my older daughter was training as a nurse, she saw an anaesthetist fondling a woman's breast and making deregotary remarks about her figure. My daughter asked the theatre sister if they should report it and told she could kiss her career goodbye if she did.