Argus readers have responded to the heart-breaking story of an Ebbw Vale woman who wasn’t told that her husband had been moved hospitals before he died of covid.

Sue Davies spent four days calling The Grange hospital in Cwmbran, desperately trying to get an update on her husband, Rhydwin, only to then receive a call to say he had been moved to Nevill Hall hospital in Abergavenny.

Mrs Davies recalled that when trying to call the hospital to find out about her husband’s health, she often struggled to get through to anybody and was given an incorrect phone number to call. 

In one instance, she was told by staff that they did not know what ward her husband was on. 

Comments on the South Wales Argus Facebook page show others have also struggled to contact The Grange Hospital.

Debbie F. Gump said she had a similar experience to Mrs Davies: "Oh my gosh, this story is so raw for me at the moment. [I] lost my dad recently -catalogue of same issues, ended up not seeing him. [It's] too late now."

Karen Tracy said: “Nobody ever answers the phone on the wards or bothers to update family on how their loves ones are doing.”

Remraf Tak shared his story: “In one day my dad was moved to two [different] wards in The Grange and then to St Woolos Hospital. We were due to visit, luckily, he phoned us and told us he’d moved hospitals, or we would have gone up to The Grange! The staff are fab, but communication is non-existent, especially at The Grange. Phone was never answered.”

Mandy James said: “It’s happening far too often. I appreciate how much pressure staff are under, surely there’s some way people can get information about loved ones.”

Trina Demarco was keen to point out that her experience at The Grange hospital had been a positive one: “When I was in The Grange at the end of October for an operation, the staff there were absolutely lovely. They came when I rang the buzzer and made me feel so comfortable and at ease – I was terrified of the operation. Yes, there are some bad stories but there are also good ones. They’re so understaffed and doing the best they can with what they have.”

A spokeswoman for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: "We fully understand how distressing it must be when relatives are unable to obtain updates on their loved ones, and we appreciate that this is never acceptable.

“Whilst our staff are managing increasing numbers of attendances at ED, having capacity to answer phones has proved extremely challenging for them, and so we have recruited Patient Liaison Officers to act as a point of contact for families to receive these updates.

"The demand for this service is extremely high due to the high levels of poorly patients coming through our doors, so we are working to recruit additional Patient Liaison Officers to manage this increased demand.

“We would like to apologise to anyone who has been caused inconvenience or upset due to the current circumstances, but please be assured that we are working hard to improve our communications with patients’ relatives.”