Ward Round.

Today (23/8/11) my grandmother had her first ward round with the consultant and multi-disciplinary (care) team. As usual the consultant skulked off to avoid talking to me meaning my father and I we're left talking to his new Senior House Officer (SHO/underling). The issue of course is one of balance, mobility and falls.

The first thing we discussed was whether or not the care team were aware that my grandmother had not undergone a physiotherapy rehabilitation program following her hip replacement operation. They weren't.

We then discussed whether the care team was aware that following their decision to remove my grandmother from a powerful opioid she had not undergone any form of drug rehabilitation program. As it was their decision to make they were aware of this but were not keen to be pressed on the issue.

We then discussed whether or not the care team were aware that following her most recent discharge my grandmother's GP had flatly refused to carry out a medicine review. They weren't but they are now.

We then discussed whether or not the care team were aware that the carers imposed on my grandmother by them following her most recent discharge have a tendency to be aggressive, abusive and have a habit of turning up expecting payment when they know full well that there is no work to do on account of my grandmother being in hospital. They weren't but they are now.

Anyway my grandmother is being kept in hospital until Friday (26/8/11) over concerns about something whose Latin I cannot even begin to spell but is just a bruise between the skull and the scalp. We will also have to have a meeting with the full care team before she is discharged. The SHO explained that they are weighing up two options but did not elaborate further on what those two options were. So allow me to title them "the right one" and "the wrong one."

In the meantime the nursing staff are encouraging my grandmother to make free telephone calls to my father at all hours of the day or night. So the culture of the hospital is still firmly one of medical research with little or no concern for the welfare of the patient. Is it this afternoon NATO will be having a big meeting to discuss how to deal with tyrants who commit crimes against humanity?