Savernake Hospital 2013-03-05 Person 1 5 0

My father has been in Savernake for over two months having been transferred there from Bath RUH for rehabilitation. The staff have always been friendly and helpful and the Dr and Physio have been available on request and have shared their experience and been generally helpful to me. Nevertheless the care and rehab element of the hospital - which may have been expected to have been its specialism appears to me poor. (1) When I am present nursing staff and carers address me 'does he have X...' rather than attempt to talk direct to my father and use his name; (2) on Mon 4th March I arrived on a visit and my father was still in bed at 1.30pm. I enquired and was courteously informed they were '2 staff down' and an apology was given - subsequently (2pm) someone arrived to help him out of bed and wash him. For an elderly person this causes extra confusion, it encourages somnolence, discourages movement, and apparently means he does not get Physio as he is 'in bed'. 3. No note appears to be made on patient notes of when he is in bed because of staff shortages. (4) For a patient attempting to recover mobility this is surely the worst possible situation - in fact his lack of mobility and confusion are likely to increase in a process of 'institutionalisation' where he is increasingly seen - certainly by care and junior nursing staff - as incompetent. (5) The joint meetings with family and multi- teams have been useful - nevertheless it seems hard to see much direct action resulting from these meetings or communication with other staff who may play an important part in the care and rehabilitation. (6) It appears my father is 'parked' although for what reasons it is no clear; (7) he receives less care and rehab than at Bath which was described the rehab hospital as 'providing intensive and specialist attention to rehab.' (8) I do not say all is bad at Savernake - nevertheless there is something wrong. My father is old and can be forgetful, nevertheless before admission to Bath he was highly mobile and active with slight forgetfullness. It may be he has lost 'muscle memory' through the long hospitalisation (in part caused by infections - some of which have themselves been a result of hospitalisation) nevertheless the actual attention to mobility seems to be less than 30 minutes per week.