A £430m state-of-the-art hospital has been criticised for issuing patients with handbells to attract the attention of nursing staff.
Southmead hospital in Bristol opened in May, but some rooms still do not have an electronic patient alert system.
Instead patients in the 23 “ward procedure” rooms which are used when there is a bed shortage, have been given metal handbells to ring when they need assistance.
Among them was Molly Goddard, 84, whose family claims she was too weak to use the bell while being treated for a broken hip.
Goddard’s son Andy said the system was “like something out of Downton Abbey”.
“We were given a bell as an emergency call service. They said: ‘Sorry, just ring the bell if you need any help because there is no call system in this room.
“It’s ridiculous really. The hospital is a beautiful building. You would think you are going into a shopping centre or a hotel. It seems so antiquated and dated for a super hospital like this. My mum couldn’t even pick up a glass of water, let alone a bell.”
The hospital, which is run by the North Bristol NHS trust, said the bells were a short-term solution in rooms that had been pressed into service because of the number of patients admitted over the winter.
Sue Jones, the director of nursing and quality at the trust, said: “To help our winter capacity, improve patient flow through the hospital and reduce the amount of time patients are waiting in A&E, we use procedure rooms on a short-term basis until a regular room becomes available.
“These 23 clinical rooms on the wards are entirely appropriate for safe and dignified patient care and are more suitable and comfortable for patients than waiting in A&E. In this environment we are able to deliver the best care to our patients.
“These rooms are not currently connected to the electronic call bell system which has been in place for the other 800 patient beds since the new hospital opened in May.
“In order to ensure that patients can call nurses 23 metal hand bells were purchased by the trust in late October as an interim measure. We anticipate that the electronic call bell system will be extended to these rooms in a month.”
