Queen Elizabeth Hospital Barbados

a month ago

My father, Ralph Boyce, suffered a stroke. The ambulance arrived quickly, but their response seemed lackadaisical, possibly due to his age (85). The paramedics appeared more focused on parking than getting him to the hospital promptly. One even returned to the ambulance for something while we waited, and there was no urgency when gathering information, which could have been done over the phone. The home nurse attending to him had last seen him at 9 p.m. Thursday and did not see him again until 9 a.m. Friday. This meant no one knew exactly when the stroke occurred, which was critical for treatment. Yet, there was no urgency to get him to the hospital. At the hospital, inefficiencies continued. I was told my father was in Triage Room 11A, but a security guard insisted there was no such room. After some back and forth, it was confirmed he was just in Room 11A (!). Once I was allowed in, I asked for updates, but the process was slow. I was told the nurse would have the patient notes, but identifying the nurse was impossible due to the lack of visible name tags. I spent hours observing, making educated guesses about who was who. The nurse, who was extremely busy, mentioned having a team, but I couldn’t identify anyone else. After he had been there for over 24 hours without fluids, unable to eat or take medication, a nurse finally took my father’s vitals. His blood pressure was 212/92, indicating a hypertensive emergency, yet there was still no urgency. After sitting for hours, I asked for the doctor’s name. The nurse informed me the shift leader had changed, and she would follow up with the assigned doctor, which she did. I received a call from the doctor, who asked questions I had already answered for the paramedics. He was honest about my father’s prognosis, which gave me some comfort. The A&E facilities were outdated, and an orderly was shouting, “KNEE CAPS AND TOES!” to clear the crowded corridor. After my father was admitted on March 10, I was told he had pulled out his feeding tube the next day. No attempts were made to address this. My brother and I received no updates for ELEVEN days, despite promises to note in the book for a doctor to contact me. On March 18, I received a call from a doctor, who mentioned my father "wasn’t looking good" and suggested I come to the hospital. On March 13, I received an email from Risk Management’s Mr. Stephen Leacock, asking for information, including my father’s hospital number, which I had never been told. Later, Mr. Leacock mentioned they might need to contact legal to add my father’s sister to the next of kin list so we could get info on his health (!). I responded, but Mr. Leacock never replied, even after I followed up on March 17. On March 18, I received an email from Chief Operations Officer Ms. Christine Greenidge. Her message expressed condolences but felt impersonal. It provided contact information for further assistance, but I had already begged for updates with no response. On the day my father died, the treatment was appalling. My brother tried to open the door to Ward C9, and a staff member walked away from him. When the nurse returned, she scolded him saying, “Next time don't pull the door out of my hand,” despite him only trying to open it. He was dealing with a dying father, and in a hurry. When my father took his last breath, no one was with us. We called for a nurse, and when one arrived, he confirmed my father wasn’t breathing and left immediately. He didn’t explain what would happen next or offer condolences. Meanwhile, someone was taking a survey in the same room, and someone else came in serving lunch, placing it next to my father’s corpse. I understand the staff is overworked, but this lack of training and empathy only made a difficult situation worse. The pretense of providing help was there, but no one actually did anything meaningful to support us during this challenging time. I told my brother to let me die at home rather than go through the hassle of dying at the QEH.

4 months ago

Sadly can't give their service negative stars. Have been there more than six hours with a burn patient and all that has been done is an access for IV. More than half an hour later the IV fluids is yet to appear and be administered. Now is talk about "protocol" now that I want to leave and go somewhere else to get actual treatment. Never had my time wasted this much at a hospital before. Absolute waste of time!!!

4 months ago

Filthy dirty hospital. No basic hygiene.Badly mis handled by porters.Screamed at by a Nurse for sitting in a chair. No water offered over a 15 HR period and there was no medical reason why I couldn't have a drink. Another patients urine on the floor. If I could give no stars I would. Disgusting 😡

6 years ago

This is Barbados' largest medical facility, and a training ground for university students on internship. Despite much public criticism, I've had a number of positive experiences there. Although I've personally had the unpleasant fiasco of an overnight wait in the Accident and Emergency Department, I've also had four incidences of close family members being given the best of care. After a lapse of a few years, this recent visit was a big surprise to me. New modern hospital beds, as well as updated monitoring equipment were in evidence. Nurses on the ward were pleasant and accommodating, and visiting hours are now much more family friendly than they were some years ago.

3 months ago

To everyone you do understand this is public healthcare provided for free from doctors and healthcare practitioners that do t get paid nearly enough for the hours they work….apologies for your waiting time it’s called triaging patients so the most critically ill go first..you waiting is a good sign it means you most likely didn’t need to be there at that time…be mindful and try wrap you minds around what a healthcare professional has to deal with for 12 hours, I promise they are NOT just twiddling their thumbs…