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Lindy W

1 reviews | Active since Sept 2014

22 Jan 2026, 11:17

Formal Complaint: Failure to Provide Adequate Urological Care – Life Fourways Hospital

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the unacceptable treatment my father received at Life Fourways Hospital, both during his admission and during his recent visit to the Emergency Department.

My father was hospitalised at Life Fourways from 31 December 2025 to 12 January 2026. While he was still admitted, we repeatedly informed the nursing staff that he was experiencing serious difficulty urinating and requested that the attending doctor be contacted. Despite these concerns being raised, no meaningful intervention or specialist referral was arranged.

On Tuesday, 20 January 2026, my father was forced to return to Life Fourways Emergency Department as he was completely unable to urinate. At the hospital, a catheter was inserted, however:

No urologist was called to assess him,

No admission was arranged, and

He was simply sent home with a catheter, without any specialist care or follow-up plan.

As a direct result of this failure, my father is now in an urgent medical situation and requires immediate care from a urologist. Because no referral or in-hospital intervention was arranged, he is now being forced to pay R2,200 cash for a private consultation. This financial burden and emotional distress could have been completely avoided had proper medical care been provided at the time.

This situation is completely unacceptable. Had the doctors and nursing staff taken his condition seriously while he was still admitted — or even during his emergency visit — this escalation and cost would not have occurred.

This incident is not isolated but follows numerous problems experienced during his hospital stay, which we will be detailing further should this matter not be resolved promptly.

We hereby request:

A full written explanation for the failure to involve a urologist.

A formal investigation into the handling of my father’s care.

Written feedback on corrective action taken.

Consideration of reimbur*****t for the unnecessary out-of-pocket specialist cost now being imposed on him.

We expect this matter to be treated with urgency and seriousness.

0
Replies (4)
Life Healthcare
Life Healthcare's reply22 Jan 2026, 12:27
Official
Dear Lindy, Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We assure you that this is not the standard of service and care that we strive to provide to our patients. For this, we do apologise. Please send your contact details by following this link, https://lifebrand.goreview.co.za/goreview-crm?revid=EwPqfrH5 so that your feedback can be addressed directly by the appropriate person. We hope to hear from you soon. Many thanks, Life Healthcare
LW
Lindy W's update27 Jan 2026, 15:31
Reviewer Update
I am extremely disappointed to report that Life Fourways Hospital has still not bothered to respond to my formal complaint regarding the treatment of my father.
Despite submitting a detailed written complaint outlining serious clinical and administrative failures, there has been no acknowledgement, no feedback, and no attempt to resolve the matter.
To recap:
My father was hospitalised at Life Fourways from 31 December 2025 to 12 January 2026. During this admission, we repeatedly informed nursing staff that he was struggling to urinate and requested that a doctor be contacted. No action was taken.
On 20 January 2026, he returned to the Emergency Department as he was completely unable to pass urine. A catheter was inserted, but:
  • No urologist was called,
  • No admission was arranged, and
  • He was sent home with a catheter and no follow-up plan.
We later discovered that the hospital also failed to follow the correct admission and coding procedures, submitting incorrect codes to Discovery Health. Because of this, Discovery was unable to issue authorisation, not due to benefit limitations but due to the hospital’s administrative errors. As a direct result, my father now urgently needs to see a urologist at his own expense (R2,200 cash) — a cost that would not exist had he received appropriate care at the time. Life Fourways’ complete silence in the face of this complaint is unacceptable. Patients and their families deserve accountability, not avoidance. I am now escalating this matter to Life Healthcare Head Office, Discovery Health, and the relevant regulatory bodies. This is not about money — it is about patient safety, dignity, and basic standards of care. If Life Fourways Hospital values its patients, it is time to respond.
LW
Lindy W's update02 Feb 2026, 09:21
Reviewer Update
It has now been several days since I logged my original complaint regarding my experience at Life Fourways Hospital, and I have still received no response whatsoever from the hospital.

This complete lack of feedback or engagement is extremely disappointing and only reinforces my original concerns about the standard of service and patient care.
To make matters worse, my father has since ended up in hospital again due to a serious infection. Fortunately, he is now being treated at a different hospital, where he is receiving proper care.

While I cannot say definitively what could have been prevented, I am deeply concerned that the lack of adequate care and follow-up at Life Fourways may have contributed to his deterioration.

One would expect a hospital group of this size to at least acknowledge a serious complaint, yet to date there has been no contact, no explanation, and no attempt to resolve the matter.

I am now questioning whether Life Healthcare has any meaningful patient complaints process at all, or whether complaints are simply ignored once submitted.

I will update this review should Life Fourways Hospital eventually decide to respond.
LW
Lindy W's update16 Feb 2026, 10:25
Reviewer Update
And STILL no response. I can't believe a hospital is allowed to do this.

Next step: Health Professions Council of South Africa