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Issues with my discharge from hospital

Posted By joshe34

"Issues with my discharge from hospital"

About: Forth Valley Royal Hospital / Discharge Lounge Forth Valley Royal Hospital / Orthopaedic Ward B23

(as the patient),

My feedback is about the way I was discharged from hospital after I broke my back and wrist.

They asked me if I could get keys to my house, which I couldn't at that time, and when I told the nurse, they stormed out. 

The physios told me that I couldn't go home as I wasn't ready. The next day I had a shower, and was left to sit in a chair all day. 

Eventually I got my medication at 8pm and 2 minutes later, I was wheeled down to the discharge lounge and there were people in there that had been waiting for transport since 11am. Fortunately, my daughter and son in law could pick me up, otherwise I'd have been sat in the discharge lounge until 3am with a broken back and wrist. 

This is nothing to do with the nurses or Physio's, they are run off their feet and pressured to discharge people. 

The administration in the hospital was diabolical. When I was getting my wrist x-rayed earlier in the week, an administrative person asked the patient in the bed opposite me where I was and why my bed was empty. 

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Responses

Response from Mhairi Dunbar, Senior Charge Nurse, B23 Orthopaedic Trauma, NHS Forth Valley 6 days ago
Mhairi Dunbar
Senior Charge Nurse, B23 Orthopaedic Trauma,
NHS Forth Valley

Submitted on 23/01/2026 at 14:36
Published on Care Opinion at 14:36

Dear Joshe34

I would like to apologise that you had issue with your discharge, This is not the way we want to discharge, and thank you for taking the time to feedback.

I hope you are recovering well at home now.

Mhairi Dunbar
Senior Charge Nurse B23

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Update posted by joshe34 (the patient)

I think the discharge nurse should have more to say about discharging patients than the administration side of the hospital.

Response from Tracy Ross, Lead Nurse, Critical care and surgery, NHS Forth Valley 3 days ago
Tracy Ross
Lead Nurse, Critical care and surgery,
NHS Forth Valley

Submitted on 26/01/2026 at 11:30
Published on Care Opinion at 11:36

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. I am truly sorry to hear about the difficulties you faced during your discharge process. Your feedback highlights important concerns, and I appreciate your honesty in bringing them to our attention.

Firstly, I want to acknowledge how challenging it must have been for you to manage your recovery after such serious injuries. It is concerning to hear that communication around your discharge and the coordination of transport did not meet your expectations. We understand that being left waiting for long periods, especially with a broken back and wrist, is unacceptable and does not reflect the standard of care we aim to provide.

I also appreciate that you have recognised the efforts of our nursing and physiotherapy teams. We know they work under significant pressure, and your comments about systemic issues in administration are noted. Your experience will help us review our discharge processes and ensure better planning and communication between clinical and administrative teams.

We will share your feedback with the relevant departments to identify any improvements.

Thank you again for bringing this to our attention, and I wish you a smooth and full recovery

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