"Disappointed"

My parent was admitted to the hospital early this month with covid pneumonia. I have nothing but immense gratitude toward the staff in Sunshine ICU, which you can read here. Unfortunately, my interaction with Ward 3F in Sunshine was incredibly limited. A lot of the time switchboard would transfer me to a phone call that would ring out until it hung up. It was incredibly difficult to receive an update and I had to rely on what my parent understood to relay their condition. The care sounds like it was sometimes standard sometimes substandard but overall manageable and reasonable given the pressures and restrictions of isolation requirements and staffing ratios.

I am horrified at the lack of discharge planning and communication involved in sending my parent home with me. I was told they would likely require another week as they had ongoing oxygen requirements. I then received a call stating they were going to put my parent in a taxi and discharge them that same day and that they wanted me to provide an address.

The staff denied my parent was unfit to be discharged to my home despite my concerns. I was assured allied health were involved and they were fit for discharge. I was assured my parent is medically clear and was fit for discharge.

There were no discussions provided regarding outpatient follow-up, nutritional/dietary requirements given my parent's new malnutrition complication (which I wasn't aware or informed of), and absolutely no discussions regarding safety to be in my home environment considering multiple stairs etc.

Given it being the Christmas period and my parent requiring isolation, it seems that any consideration to their requirements were thrown out the window along with everyone's duty of care.

My parent was home less than 3 hours before I made the decision to call an ambulance. Their oxygen level was found to be critically low. I am informed my parent will be transferred to an ICU bed once one becomes available.

I understand the strain on the healthcare system covid creates more than most people do. I still think this discharge was pure negligence. I also blame myself for allowing my parent to come home with me when I should have known the moment I saw them that it was an unsafe plan. The system is stretched, so I am providing feedback as I hope this improves outcomes for others before it is too late.