No service with a bad attitude to boot
A lack of service and a bad attitude allegedly was experienced at Life Flora Clinic earlier in January.
A resident expressed her utmost disgust to the Record on Monday 13 January at the lack of service her elderly mother faced at Life Flora Clinic.
The woman’s complaint referred to Thursday 2 January, when the elderly woman (85) was admitted to Life Flora Clinic. The patient is not mobile, cannot speak and makes use of adult nappies. Allegedly the following events unfolded.
“When we saw my mother in the trauma unit she was laying on the bed without her nappy,” a disgusted daughter told the Record.
“I requested the nurse on duty to assist in cleaning her, and was ignored.
“We eventually had to clean her and the bed ourselves.”
After more than an hour no doctor has seen the patient and she was in severe pain. Her daughter then requested some painkillers for her mother.
“The nurse was very agitated and said that my mother was not the only patient and that we must wait for the doctor.”
Other complaints about how the patient was treated included being moved to a broken bed in a ward, where the situation was ‘remedied’ by providing the family with more pillows instead of finding a suitable bed.
“We had to put the pillow slips on the pillows ourselves.”
The family complained to the doctor when he did his rounds and he reprimanded a nurse and gave her clear instructions.
“When the doctor left the room, the nurse responded by saying ‘whatever’.”
The airbed that the doctor had requested took over an hour to arrive, and eventually came without a pump, which the family then offered to fetch themselves.
“When the pump arrived, the staff didn’t even understand how to use it to inflate the bed.
“It was a constant battle to get anyone to assist us.
“I complained to a certain sister the next day and explained to her that I wanted to discharge my mother because of the lack of service and care, and horrible attitude we have experienced.
“She told me to do whatever I wanted, and had the discharge papers ready for me to sign within minutes.”
A sister at Life Flora Clinic who is the hospital spokesperson for this case confirmed that a meeting was held with the woman on Friday 17 January. The Record will update the story as it progresses.
