Liverpool Women's Hospital

allnurses Guide · Jun 11, 2010

I don't know about the hospital but as long as your mrelative gives consent there is no reason you wouldn't be able to be kept informed via phone. Most consultants will speak to you if you call their secretaries and make a phone appointment, you would need to make sure your relatives let's then know what information they are happy to share

LiverpoolJane · Jun 11, 2010

I have been a patient of this hospital and have a positive experience, however it was not for such a major reason as you MIL.

As a nurse who has had to deal with the complexities of long distance relatives I know it can be very tricky.

The first thing I would establish is that your MIL is happy for info to be shared with others and who those are. If it is a long distance issue, most hospitals set up some sort of password policy to ensure they are speaking to the correct people.

I have made arrangements to update relatives over the phone if they live a distance away, but in my experience this has only been when I have met them and discussed this face to face first. In most cases there is a NOK who lives local and can relay any updates to the long distance side of the family, so it hasn't been a common problem.

Wishing you MIL well for her operation and after.

Celia M, ASN, RN · Jun 15, 2010

Thank you for your replies. My MIL is now in Southport Hospital following a PE being discoverd on CAT scan that took 1 week to be read, so everything is still up in the air. They will decide tomorrow whether to transfer to LWH. The staff in Southport are wonderful and are happy to talk over the phone since my MIL had given permission. I do find it rather strange that she has no access to a phone at the bedside and has to come to the Nurses' staion to speak to us. I'm wondering if perhaps she just doesn't want to ask for one as she is the type not to want to bother anybody. What is the norm now in the NHS? (23 years ago we had a phone on a trolley that we pushed around for this purpose).

Thanks again for your help, Celia

LiverpoolJane · Jun 15, 2010

Hi Celia, the days of the telephone trolley and communal TV in each room have been replaced with individulal phone & TV at each bed space. That comes with a considerable charge unfortunatley. I think it something like £3-£5 per day for the TV and calls at an extortionate amount. Be grateful the nurses allow your MIL to come to the phone as it is usually discouraged.

Hope you MIL makes a fast recovery and is well enough to be transfered. Since posting my first response I started thinking of many people who have been treated in Liverpool Womens and can only remember of hearing very good experiences. I'm sure there are the other stories but on the whole it seems to have a good reputation. Jane

Celia M, ASN, RN · Jun 16, 2010

Liverpool Jane,

Thanks for all the info and good news regarding LWH. The situation is not so good for the MIL as it now seems that surgery is off and she will have chemo. Thanks to your info I did manage to get her a television/phone console for her bedside @ $15 for 3 days, and free phone calls in the UK, at least now we can contact her directly as she is getting weaker and she can whatch Wimbledon next week.

I do have a problem of getting information, information given to me is not given my brother in law and vice versa (MIL has signed the medical release for us all). Who is the best person to speak to for information, the patients nurse or the ward sister?

Thanks, Celia

LiverpoolJane · Jun 17, 2010

Getting info can be a problem and I would suggest that you come to an arrangement with just one person and speak to them only. Ideally the ward doctor or the ward manager / sister, that way they know what has been said before. In the past I have agreed to be the contact for families who live a distance, as the junior staff felt a bit twitchy about it anyway. I would ask to speak to the ward manager and ask him / her if you could set up an arrangement with an individual and ask him / her which one it would be. Then arrange a best time to call back next time. I hope they are reasonable about this, it can be uncomfortable for staff after being brought up on not giving info to families the way we used to many years ago, and especially over the phone.

If that doesn't work I would suggest you enlist the support of PALS, customer care or speak to the "matron of the day" I see they have according to their site.