Patients share their dissatisfaction after incidents at Standerton Hospital

Two separate incidents at the Standerton Hospital compelled loved ones of patients to come forward and share their stories.

A local couple expressed their dissatisfaction after their recent experience.

Ms Catharina Boshoff, patient, who was experiencing labour pains, was admitted to the hospital on 2 January.

According to Mr David Boshoff, her husband, she was in labour for 24 hours before giving birth to their baby boy.

“We arrived at the hospital during the day and the nurses changed shifts while we were still there,” he said.

Mr Boshoff also said things changed when the night shift nurses took over.

He claimed that they did not provide his wife with a blanket and pillows when she asked for it.

“She was told they were finished, but other patients were using more than one.”

According to the unhappy couple, the hospital was also not clean.

“There was blood on the floor, on the linen and on a toilet seat,” Mr Boshoff said.

The couple also raised concerns about the nurses’ attitude, saying they were rude to the patients.

“They ignored patients who were calling for help,” Mr Boshoff also said.

According to him, he was very worried about his wife and child because the nurses were so careless, but was grateful she gave birth to a healthy baby the following day.

In the second case, an elderly woman who was apparently admitted to the hospital with diarrhea, fell and broke her hip.

According to her family, she was on her way to the bathroom when she fell.

They said a patient that was sharing a room with her called one of the nurses on duty for help.

The nurse allegedly handled the woman roughly, pulling her by the leg to the bed, while the woman was screaming in pain.

This elderly woman was later transferred to another hospital.

According to the Department of Health, they have not received any formal complaints about Standerton Hospital, but said they will investigate the allegations.

The department said they monitor the hospitals and the monitoring ranges from monthly, quarterly to annually.

Monitoring includes among others quality assurance monitoring, prenatal monitoring, clinical governance monitoring, infection control monitoring, health and safety monitoring, management monitoring at all levels and response units monitoring.

Forums at district level also monitor performance of facilities.

The department said unannounced visits are conducted to facilities for monitoring performance.

They also said there are annual national core standard inspections conducted by the district team.

According to the department, the facility has a complaint management system which enables clients to complain, and these complaints are opened weekly and are investigated, corrective actions are taken and feedback and redress given to clients.

They said customer care training is conducted with all staff, educating them to treat patients well, and monitoring is done through dash boards for patients to give feedback on care received.

“Purchasing of linen for all the hospitals in the Gert Sibande District, including Standerton Hospital, is centralised at Bethal Hospital which has a regional laundry,” the department said.

They also said there is a schedule which is followed in provision of linen to all the hospitals in the Gert Sibande District where the linen is delivered twice a week and when the need arises.

Read the complete article in the next edition of the Standerton Advertiser.

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