A WOKINGHAM family says that the Royal Berkshire Hospital has “completely failed” their father after he caught Covid-19 on their ward.
Nisha Green said her 79-year-old father, Ahmed Faruk, visited the hospital after a mild stroke, but was placed in a ward with two confirmed and two suspected Covid-19 cases.
“My Dad’s last words to me in person were, ‘Don’t worry I will be okay, just pray for me’”, she said.
On Tuesday, October 13, Mr Faurk was admitted to the acute medical assessment unit for the night, before being moved onto the Mortimer Ward the next day — a ward specialising in elderly patients.
The next day, the family went to drop off some essentials but were stopped from entering.
“We were told the ward had been closed to visitors due to there being two positive Covid-19 patients on the ward and two suspected cases,” Mrs Green explained.
“We asked if these patients were being kept on the same ward, and not in a specific ward for covid patients.
“The ward clerk informed us that the two positive cases were put into side rooms but the two suspected cases were left on the ward. This made absolutely no sense to us.
“It would have made far more sense if the suspected patients were put into side rooms too, and isolated until they received a negative result.”
Mr Faruk was discharged from hospital that Friday but seven days later, he was showing signs of a Covid-19 infection.
The week before he became symptomatic, Mr Faruk and his wife, Shama (71) decided to self-isolate, just in case they had caught the virus.
“He is fatigued, he has an awful hacking cough, he cannot eat, he had cold shivers that literally rock his entire body, he is confused, hallucinating, and does not even have the strength to make it to the bathroom on his own,” Mrs Green explained. “On top of that my Mum also tested positive for Covid-19 and is not well herself.
“They are literally on their own.”
Mrs Green said she was surprised that 10 days after leaving the hospital, her father was asked to self-isolate after being in contact with the virus.
“Thankfully my Dad and Mum are sensible and self-isolated on their own, as they knew there had been Covid-19 on the ward.
“However, others may have walked out of the Mortimer Ward completely unaware and may have gone on to infect numerous others before receiving the isolation letter.
“This, in my opinion, is a complete failure on behalf of the RBH.”
Last Thursday, Mr Faruk was again admitted to hospital, after paramedics were called to the house when his breathing worsened.
He contracted pneumonia by Monday and the family said staff “will not revive him or put him on a ventilator should he get worse”.
“We are really struggling as a family and would not wish anyone else to go through this,” Ms Green said. “We have been told to expect deterioration.”
“As a family we are really disappointed that the one place where you think you should be safe, is the one place that proved to be the complete opposite.
“Royal Berkshire Hospital is not keeping elderly, vulnerable patients safe from Covid-19.
“My dad wore a mask when he slept on the ward, used hand gel and washed his hands regularly. However, he still managed to contract this potentially deadly infection that he spent eight months trying his hardest to avoid.
“He followed all the Government guidelines, only to be let down by the hospital in the worst way possible.
“No one should have to go into hospital for something completely unrelated to Covid-19, and walk out with a potentially deadly infection.
A Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “We’ve sorry to hear about Mr Faruk’s illness and send the family our warm wishes.
“We have implemented very strict infection control measures at the hospital to ensure the highest standards of safety and social distancing for our patients, staff and visitors.
“This includes a new waiting area outside ED (formerly known as A&E) which helps us maintain safe, socially distanced seating in the department, strict policies on wearing masks and widely available hand sanitisers around the site.
“Everyone admitted on to the wards is tested before admission and then again up to twice more during their time with us, depending on how many days they are in hospital. People displaying Covid symptoms are cared for in separate and safely distanced areas to minimise any risk of infection.
“Our staff are very vigilant when discharging patients and take time to explain self-isolation rules and answer any questions before the patient leaves, and we’re now checking to confirm this happened with Mr Faruk. We’ll also look into his concerns about the self-isolating letter.
“We are doing our utmost to protect all our patients and staff during this pandemic, limiting footfall on to the site and keeping visitors down to the minimum to prevent any spread of the virus.
“We’d urge everyone to continue following the ‘hands, face, space’ rules and do all they can to support our local healthcare system during these very difficult times.
“If they do have appointments at clinics or for surgery it’s very important that they keep them.
“We are managing the situation extremely carefully and closely, and implementing lessons learned from the first wave of the virus, so people should feel reassured that it is safe for them to attend.”
