"Unsuccessful procedure and staff attitude"

As a carer, I accompanied a patient recently for a procedure. I have accompanied the patient for the same procedure on two previous occasions. 

On the previous occasions, the facility was a hive of activity with staff under enormous pressure due to the number of patients all presenting challenges. I couldn't help but notice the high level of efficiency and professionalism of all staff. The atmosphere was simply wonderful, however, on this occasion that was not the case. I recognised one staff member, the remainder were all new. I also noticed it was particularly quiet there in comparison to previous visits. The staff weren't even comparable in professionalism to what I had  previously been exposed to. The doctor doing the procedure appeared to me to be very unsure & it was apparent they seemed to lack confidence, albeit their personality was really lovely.

Upon the doctor checking the patient's abdomen, starting first with the right side, which was visibly bruised, the doctor moved to the patient's left side. They then left the patient to seek support from their supervisor, who returned with the doctor to the bedside. The supervisor actually stood at the end of the bed with hands in their pockets while obviously instructing the doctor what to do & obviously observe the process. I found the stance of the supervisor rather imposing & could have been intimidating to the young doctor. The supervisor turned to speak to me stating, the needle was inserted too deeply & may have ruptured the bowel, chances are slim, however, we now need to do a scan. The procedure naturally had to be discontinued. The supervisor left, leaving a rather distressed doctor, whom I really felt for. I consoled the doctor as they felt very disappointed the procedure didn't go as planned. Unsure if the patient was aware of what had happened due to cognitive impairment.

I took a break from the ward for 15mins & upon my return the patient had been moved to a hospital bed being attended by the afternoon nurse. I asked the nurse what happens now besides the scan, and they said quite clearly possibly surgery. I then spoke to the nurse co-ordinator & mentioned the word surgery to them. Their reply was, who told you? The nurse who told me this was standing beside us & responded in a tone of voice I didn't really appreciate. Their response was, I said surgery as the worst-case scenario. Really, I wasn't interested in disagreeing with the nurse in front of the patient. It had been decided the patient would be admitted, thus I was free to leave. I left feeling so uneasy and so terribly disappointed with my negative experience as opposed to the wonderful amazing experiences I had previously. Quite concerning really, how staff can make such a difference to the overall atmosphere & care of patients in general.