Covid in Wales: Families struggle to speak to patients in hospital

Debbie Dawkins' father Jeffrey Millard died in hospital in October

A woman whose father died in hospital with 511 missed calls says she tried "for days and days" to get in touch.

Debbie Dawkins said communication from Aneurin Bevan health board's hospitals was non-existent before her father Jeffrey Millard's death.

Mr Millard had a mobile phone with him but his daughter said she was not able to call because the battery had died.

The health board is recruiting extra patient liaison officers and says it is doing "everything we can".

• Covid patient waited 40 hours in hospital A&E

• How is the NHS in your area coping?

Ms Dawkins, from Blaenau Gwent, said her father was a cancer patient who was also treated for Covid and pneumonia.

She said the 77-year-old was in several hospitals before his death, including Neville Hall, the Grange hospital, Ebbw Vale and Ystrad Mynach.

Mr Millard had a mobile phone with him but staff told Ms Dawkins the charger was lost in the hospital, she said.

"I tried for days and days to call and I couldn't get an answer on any of the numbers I tried," Ms Dawkins said.

"When my dad was being transferred between hospitals, one of the ambulance staff must have turned it on, as I had a call from my dad. That was the last time I spoke to him."

Jeffrey Millard was "very kind" and "loved to make people laugh", his daughter said

Ms Dawkins said a lack of communication from the hospital was "distressing" and caused confusion about which hospital he was in and his condition.

"I had one incoming call from the hospital but they said there wasn't much information about my dad they could give me," she said.

Ms Dawkins believes the phone call may have been from a patient liaison officer.

She said she had not been able to see her father before he died, and when his belongings were given back to her she found 511 missed calls on his mobile from her phone.

Ms Dawkins welcomed the health board's recruitment of extra staff but said that they needed to have relevant training to make the right impact.

What are patient liaison officers?

Patient liaison officers can provide non-clinical information to families and carers

Patient liaison officers are a hospital contact on behalf of patients for their families and carers so that clinical staff are able to focus on medical care.

They can provide non-clinical information and link families to the nursing teams when clinical information is asked for.

A job advert for the role with the Grange University Hospital last month said it required candidates to provide a "fast, friendly and efficient service".

It said the staff would be expected respond to feedback, queries or concerns expressed by patients, their families and carers.

Aneurin Bevan health board says there are challenges with staffing levels across its hospitals

A serious incident investigation report from Aneurin Bevan health board carried out regarding a patient in May 2021 highlighted the need for improved communication with patients' families during the pandemic.

The private report, seen by BBC Wales, recommended improvements to ensure family members were informed and that important medical history was gathered.

A spokesperson for the health board said it would like to apologise to "anyone who has been caused inconvenience or upset due to the current circumstances".

"We fully understand how distressing it must be when relatives are unable to obtain updates on their loved ones, and this is a very regrettable situation," they said.

"We are continuing to experience challenges with staffing levels across all of our hospitals.

"Our wards are currently very busy and our staff are working very hard to manage this increased demand."

They said the health board was doing "everything we can to improve our communications with patients' relatives".

An increase in calls from family members directly to wards prompted the health board to set up a temporary line in January, before it brought in additional patient liaison officers.

Jemma McHale from Aneurin Bevan Community Health Council welcomed the introduction of patient liaison officers

Jemma McHale, chief officer for Aneurin Bevan Community Health Council (CHC) said communication with loved ones in hospital was really "troubling" at the start of the pandemic.

"People didn't know from one day to the next if their relatives or loved one was on the same ward of it they had been moved," she said.

One Blaenau Gwent resident told the community council through feedback services in November 2020 that they were struggling to keep in contact with their father in hospital.

"Despite us trying to use varying means of contacting him, phone, recorded video message we are not receiving the support we need to pursue this. I feel helpless and distressed," the resident said.

The CHC said it welcomed the introduction of patient liaison officers, saying it would be a proactive solution to address the issue.

Ms McHale said since the initiative was introduced, concerns about communication to the council had reduced by about 80%.

Aneurin Bevan CHC said anyone unable to contact those in hospitals within the health board can use the advocacy service on their website.