"Wound care was appalling"

I sent this email to the complaints department using the website link, but it bounced back.

I would like to make a formal complaint into the wound care my parent recieved while at Rockingham Hospital.

I brought them into hospital, as the wound that my parent had on their leg was infected and the dressings and antibiotics they were receiving at the local doctors was not improving their condition. My parent was not responding to oral antibiotics.

My parent was treated at the hospital with IV antibiotics, but their legs were left uncovered for long periods of time with no dressings at all, resulting in oozing from their skin, left on the sheets. It was not until I asked for my parent's legs to be dressed that they did anything about it. When they did dress my parent's wounds, it was only with patches which were totally unsuitable for this type of wound, even I could do a better job than that. The next day my parent's dressings were removed and replaced with a new dressing. This was only when my parent asked for their legs to be dressed that anything was done. The nurse had nothing to dress the wound with properly so just patched it up as best as they could, the result however is that my parent's legs left the hospital with wounds worse than my parent arrived with. The hospital did organise silverchain to come to dress their legs properly. However, the standards of wound care received by my parent while at the hospital are absolutely appalling and should be addressed immediately.

I have photos of my parent's injuries before coming into hospital, photos 1 and 2, prior to IV antibiotics. 3-5 is the wound after antibiotics, and dressing. Pic 6 is the dressing provided at the hospital, pic 7 is the way the wound should have been dressed, and was dressed by Silverchain.

My suggestion is you provide immediate professional development in wound care for every nurse in your hospital. You provide adequate equipment for wound care to staff members as soon as possible. There is no reason that this basic equipment should not be provided for wound care.

Regards

mercuryqn48