"Thank God for St Cross Rugby"

My father was admitted to the University Hospital in Coventry a week last Monday as he was finding it difficult to keep his balance and was falling, and had lay all night in his home before I found him that morning. The Casualty Dr at the University was fantastic with Dad and he was eventually transferred to a ward.

We visited Dad both the Tuesday and Wednesday finding Dad more poorly each time. We asked the staff what was happening as we had only took him in with concerns for his co-ordination and they said he was having a rest after his ordeal of being on the floor at his home all night and building up his strength with sodium. They had conducted a X Ray of his chest which they said was inconclusive.

By the Wednesday evening my father was totally naked when we arrived to see him (he wouldn't normally do that) and was so agitated. We mentioned this to the male nurse who said he was concerned and was calling a Dr and for us to ring them later to see what the Dr had said.

I mentioned then that if possible I wanted Dad back to St Cross Rugby so it was nearer to us three girls. They said they would try and get him back.

I rang the hospital later to see what the Dr had said about Dad's condition and was told there was no note of the nurse contacting the Dr and no Dr ever saw dad.

The next day (Thursday) I heard from the Dr at the University Hospital who said he was transferring Dad back to St Cross Rugby. He said Dad was being reduced on his high blood pressure pills as his pressure was low. The Dr didn't know which ward Dad was being transferred too.

I heard at 6 pm from St Cross telling us Dad was in Rugby (We were thrilled as we love St Cross) and he was in the Medical Assessment Ward. We visited and they informed us that Dad had congestion on his lungs and an enlarged heart and was put on oxygen immediately. The Dr was so kind and informative and so were the nursing staff who cared for Dad. We knew more about Dad's condition in that evening than we had known all the 3 days he was in the bigger hospital

He was transferred to a normal ward at 9.00 pm that evening. The following day we heard from the ward he was on (Birch Ward) saying they were concerned about Dad and he was put back on the Assessment Ward (which is the critical care ward) as he was poorly. Within two hours we were called as a family as Dad was critically ill.

The Dr spoke with us and informed us that Dad had double pneumonia and fluid around the heart and thought he only had hours to live. They said they would give him antibiotics and oxygen and make Dad as comfortable as possible.

We sat with Dad to the early hours of Saturday morning where his condition did not worsen, in fact by morning he started to very slowly improve. His condition went from critical to Stable.

Although he was very ill the Staff kept up all the obs, care and treatment. It is now a Friday, a week since Dad was dying and he is now sitting up in bed. His oxygen is reduced and his pneumonia is clearing.

A miracle I might say. No it was the dedicated staff at St Cross Hospital who never really gave up on Dad when we had really. My Dad might never be as fit as he was before he became ill, but My Dad is alive and getting better each day.

My agony and hurt is that if the University had acted as quickly as St Cross did, maybe my Dad might never had been so critically ill. Apart from oxygen and Sodium my Dad received no mediation from the University Hospital.

I also fear that if Dad had not come home to St Cross would he be here today!!

St Cross is slowly closing wards due to the University Hospital taking over all our services, yet it was our lovely little hospital that saved my Dads life.

Thank God for St Cross Hospital Rugby.