"First hospital admission of my mother"

I am a nurse who has worked in the NHS for over 25 years. My mother in her 70's, does not speak English and has had poor physical and mental health for the last few decades. A major concern is her anxiety and phobia of hospitals.

I have always been able to work with health staff across different trusts to ensure my mother receives her treatments such as MRI scans etc by allowing me to be with her during her time in a hospital environment.

2 weeks ago my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and immediately commenced chemotherapy at home. Throughout our consultations with her haematologist and oncology nurse I have repeatedly stressed my mothers anxiety of hospital admissions.

We had to attend Queen Elizabeth Accident and Emergency department in March as my mother developed a fever. The Emergency department staff were professional and caring, my mother was then transferred to ward 622 who again were professional and caring. A few hours later after midnight she was transferred to ward 624.

The ward staff would not listen despite me pleading and begging that my mother could not stay alone overnight because of her phobia and anxiety of hospitals. I have never in my 25 years of nursing come across such poor compassion and care. The charge nurse threatened calling security and only allowed someone to stay after my mother became hysterical and almost pulled her cannula out trying to run out of the ward not wanting to be alone without a family member. 

By this time it was almost 5am. As you can imagine this caused significant trauma for my mother and for myself, not to mention the disturbance to other patients on the ward.

I wanted to cry. How could they do this to an old woman with no understanding of English, newly diagnosed and ill with cancer and a phobia of hospitals. How could I as a nurse, always striving for excellent patient care, not be able to stop my own mother from suffering like this.

Having someone with my mother at all times while she is in hospital is not a luxury but a necessity for me. Thankfully she was able to be discharged later that day after her chemotherapy dose was increased.

No doubt my mother will be needing future admissions but she has said she will not go into hospital to be admitted again because she cannot cope without me there. As a daughter and a qualified experienced nurse I have never felt so hopeless, angry and frustrated, as I know my mother will not survive if she does not get the care she requires.

My mother, myself and my family are already going through a difficult time following my mother's diagnosis and the fear of another admission in hospital is it constantly at the front of our minds.