“April is the cruelest month”

T S Eliot’s mention of April in “the Wasteland” does in many ways sum up the weather of a typical April. We can have sheeting rain, drizzly showers, biting fierce wind, snow or sunshine and warmth. Not only that but in April we can expect the weather to change from one to the other in the twinkling of an eye. Today it is sunny here with glorious blue skies that remind me of the Love in a Mist flowers. However, there is also a sharp gusting wind blowing in from the south west. In a sheltered part of the garden it is warm and in every way a delight but in the more exposed part it is chilly. A “good drying day” as my mother would have said – “get that washing on the line as soon as you can”. I have – a large quilt is at this moment billowing like a massive sail, catching the wind. It is anchored to the line with robust pegs at several strategic points but I am not convinced that it won’t take off if we have a “super” gust!!!

This morning has been devoted to planting seeds – some vegetables and some flowers. All of the trays are on the bench under the window in the garage – runner beans, French beans, lettuce and some lupins etc. We shall see if they “come back”. My daughter mowed both lawns for me last weekend but they have grown and now need another mow. Tulips planted in the pots are gradually coming into flower and the primroses go on and on. Cawing Jackdaws and screeching Gulls ride the wind while a “charm” of Goldfinches flit in and out of the hawthorn bushes in the lane. A Skylark or two can be heard high above the sheep field and a Kestrel hovers above the verge and then sweeps off across the field.

In other news on Himself – the saga continues and he is still in hospital. Due out this week I hope but I shall believe it when I see it. He is still slightly confused but I have been told that he will be “safer at home”. A damning indictment of the NHS! I have a hospital bed set up in my dining room and countless pieces of equipment to help with his care. Navigating the Health system is wearing and like wading through an interminable swamp of bureaucracy with very little help on the way. Mostly people put barriers in the way, refuse to engage or cause much distress to the patient and relatives. Some of the processes in the NHS make no sense at all. For example – Himself had a fall in hospital which was reported to me in a most unsympathetic manner with checks as to who I was before they even started to say that he was OK. When I spoke to the Nurse in Charge she told me that she wanted to get another member of staff on the ward so that they could keep a close eye on him. This seemed reasonable and caring until she explained what she had to do to get another nurse. She needs to get a doctor to assess Himself and confirm that he lacked mental capacity, the doctor then needs to write a report for the Nurse in Charge, the Nurse in Charge then needed to send that report with her request to a Manager (who had no medical training) and then eventually the Manager would let her know if she could have another member of staff. In the case of Himself this procedure was followed and no extra member of staff was allocated to the Ward. A few days later Himself had another fall. The only way the staff could try and mitigate the risk was to push his bed against the wall and provide a crash mat for the floor!! They found that Himself had a gastric ulcer and the doctor who was called prescribed a drug which is known to lower sodium levels. This is the problem that he was being treated for and which landed him in hospital in the first place and the drug prescribed in hospital lowered them again to an unacceptable level. Only when I complained did they take him off the drug!!! Countless other obstacles have arisen. There is little dignity in the ward. Staffing levels are very low and at weekends there is only a skeleton staff. Himself was much better yesterday but constantly begged me to take him home because he hates it there. He will be discharged, I hope, but the process is protracted and cumbersome and presided over by non medics. I have had meetings with discharge managers and Occupational Therapists who have made Himself distressed and confused by their attitude and behaviour. Eventually, once I had spoken to a doctor, the discharge process was begun but because we were heading for a weekend he will not be able to come home until mid week. Transport needs to be ordered, Care packages need to be put in place, Drugs must be signed off by a doctor etc. Why is this not straight forward and why are there not simple template forms to fill in online that are quickly sent to the relevant people and places??

It is no exaggeration to say that I have had to go into battle with some aspect of the NHS every single day for the past 5 weeks. I am capable of doing that and will continue to do so but what about those who can’t? Another aspect of this sorry saga is quite wrong too. My title is Dr and I don’t usually use it but in this case I have eventually done so. The change in attitude has been marked and suddenly all those I had contact with have become far more informative and cooperative. This is blatantly wrong.

A huge thank you to all of you who have sent me good wishes etc. It has meant a great deal and has helped me to fight the good fight on those occasions when I have felt rather down. I shall not give up on this and have kept a detailed diary etc of the whole sorry saga. Once Himself is home and settled then I shall begin to send the details to all of those who I think should be aware of the conditions in my local hospital and the kind of treatment that seems to be typically dished out to the elderly.