Dr Ahmed Abdul Hamid

Written by a carer at Hull Royal Infirmary

My wife and I saw Dr.A on Nov.24 to discuss the Care Plan for my mother-in-law who has dementia and had been admitted to the Hull Royal Infirmary on Oct.18 after a series of falls which culminated in a stroke. To be fair Dr.A was covering for another Consultant who was on leave, so we were conscious he would have been (especially) busy. Having only recently been told she needed 24hr care, and consequently we were under pressure to find an appropriate Care Home, we were informed that she was clinically ready for discharge. We were concerned about two specific aspects of her condition and were looking for assurances that we wouldn't be playing 'healthcare ping-pong' by placing her in a Care Home prematurely. Whilst he was professional during our (brief) discussion, he did seem to be irritated by the inconvenience, wanting to move it on quickly. More than once, if we took time to ask a question, he (rudely) responded with 'Just ask the question'. Given his position as a Consultant he wouldn't lack experience, in fact he told us so, but what he was entirely lacking of was empathy, toward us and our situation. There was no warmth in his tone, he was straight talking which is fine, but didn't like his opinion being challenged, whether real or imagined, and so came over as arrogant. I suspect he probably is a good clinician but needs to be mindful that there are other qualities (see above) that could help re-affirm that and possibly move him from good to great. Chris G

Trust

Listening

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