A BRADFORD man says he feels “let down” by Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) after claiming that the hospital has failed to communicate with him over the condition of his seriously ill mother.

Gordon Troy says he is frustrated at what he sees as a "lack of communication" from BRI, claiming that he has to “badger” the hospital for updates on his 79-year-old mother’s condition, and even then describes the responses that staff give him as “vague.”

Margaret Troy, from Greengates, was admitted to BRI on 12 May, after suffering a stroke, and has now been at the hospital for over six weeks.

Mr Troy says he is “not very optimistic” about her chances of coming home any time soon, after saying she has suffered damage to the right side of her brain.

He says he “understands” that things may be hard for BRI staff, given the current climate and the complications around coronavirus, but says “I can understand they’re helping her and that everything is very hard at the moment, but I just want them to keep me informed on my mum’s condition.”

Mr Troy says he believes it is the hospital's responsibility to contact him, rather than him having to reach out first.

“I always have to call them first, and when I eventually manage to get in touch, the information they give me is vague”, he says.

“I asked to speak to a doctor for more information on my mum's condition last week, because it wasn't being made clear to me. A ward sister said she would get one of the doctors to ring me, but it took until now for that to happen. It should only take two minutes to call a concerned family member and give them an update, it's ridiculous.

“I’m in a family WhatsApp group and when they ask for an update on mum and her condition, I can’t give them one. I don’t see why BRI staff can’t take two or three minutes out of their day to call me and tell me how she is.

“A nurse told me they have 24 patients and that’s why they can’t give me regular updates, but if you have two-minute phone calls with the families of all those 24 patients, that will take less than an hour.”

Mr Troy says the situation caused him to "break down" recently.

"It was my mum's birthday this month, she just turned 79. She used to be very active before all this happened, she would go into town three times a week, and she was really into gardening.

"So to see her in this situation is hard. She needs 24-hour care and I'm not too optimistic that she will get better. I'm not going to expect some kind of magical improvement in her condition."

In response to Mr Troy's claims against the hospital, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has said it is sorry to hear that he feels this way, but is open to to “re-building” its relationship with him, while also highlighting how - despite the challenges of the current climate - the hospital has introduced several new measures to try and adapt.

Chief Nurse at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Karen Dawber, said: “We are sorry that the patient’s family feel they have not been kept updated throughout their stay in hospital.

“Our staff have been working in exceptional circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic and unfortunately sometimes it has been difficult to maintain our usual high standards of family contact.

“Over the last weeks we have worked hard to urgently introduce some brand new innovations specifically to deal with concerns about families being separated. This range of new measures, including video calls, a relatives’ line and other technology, supports families to see and talk to their loved ones.

“We have been in touch with the patient’s family and we are happy to discuss arrangements for regular medical updates with them. We are also arranging for video calls to be set up and, from the start of this week, prior to the T&A making contact with the Trust, under new rules for all patients who have been in hospital for longer than three weeks, a nominated family member has been allowed to visit this patient.

“Throughout the pandemic, the patient has received the best care and treatment for their condition. We are happy to discuss any issues the family may have and are saddened that they did not feel they could approach us with their ongoing concerns and hope that we can rebuild the relationship with them.”