Relatives personal belongings lost somewhere in hospital or in rehab (care home) - any experience?

[malumbu]

94 year old aunt got shunted between different wards in a large hospital and rehab over the summer following a fall. Hearing aids, glasses, and some other personal effects got lost.

Gentle enquiries by my sister got nowhere.

Nothing on line about patients' valuables, including policies or complaints procedures. Difficult as this was all remote from immediate family so we were relying on carers and neighbours (please don't go into how the family helped as this involved numerous calls with hospital and social care at the time, geographically we simply could not be there as this was in Harrow).

Any views or experience that you may have appreciated.

I will be complaining formally, it was out of order and she spent weeks not being able to read or hear properly. Back at home now with her live in carer. I do visit and will be there as the weekend. She has no direct family ie children.

[mancity68]

If they have a PALS service that can be a good place to start.

[womanofdulwich]

I would just advise anyone going into hospital to put their name labels on things like glasses and glass case, phones, chargers, false teeth cases.

[malumbu]

She was 94, got admitted a fall at short notice. Surely the hospital and care home have the capability to keep personal belongings safe. And the duty to do this, particularly with such a vulnerable patient. I'm not sure how you put a label on a hearing aid....

[womanofdulwich]

I'm just speaking from experience and advice from care homes when looking after my late father and father in law . Of course its awful.you are right. Having seen my father in law take other people's glasses while in hospital, and so many patients who are confused or with dementia it can be very disturbing. Just a warning for others.

[Pugwash]

Ward should complete a property list when a patient is admitted, when I worked in hospitals, this was a paper copy and went into patient's file. However most hospitals now use Electronic Patient Records. False teeth are frequently lost as many patients took them out and wrapped them in tissue paper which cleaner then assumed as rubbish.

[malumbu]

Thanks all, surprising that this doesn't happen more often (or that other NHS hospitals are not like the one that may or may not be near a driving range near Harrow).

I'll take this up with them and hope to get some sort of response. Being in hospital essentially deaf and blind was not fun for my aunt.