Disgusting hospital

I think it says it all when my DH who is an NHS consultant has always insisted that the whole family have private healthcare!! We have a family plan and even though the premiums are expensive as it covers 5 of us we have had far more back in claims than the cost of the policy. The speed of getting investigations and consultant appointments means that you always have the peace of mind that issues are dealt with promptly and for anything non-urgent you can schedule appointments at a convenient time and I have never had an appointment or procedure cancelled or rearranged like so many are on the NHS.

Are there annual ratings for hospitals like there are for schools with OFSTED?

I wouldn't like to be in any of your holidays!

Pinderfields are horrendous. I am not surprised.

I had two endoscopies last year and was treated with kindness and consideration during both. Also during two visits to A&E.
I'm in Oxfordshire, I think standards vary wildly by region.

Rather, that poor patient shouldn't have been left smelling of feces.

It was disgusting when I gave birth in 2007. I was told where the showers were and went in to find blood, used maternity pads, overflowing bins, no toilet paper, mold...this wasn't in one shower, this was in multiple and the blood was crusted on the walls in places. This is a leading hospital. We've just taken out private health care after witnessing what friends and relatives have gone through at NHS hospitals recently.

I have PTSD from my hysterectomy a few years ago. It was the most awful experience. Staff seem to treat patients as an inconvenience, pain levels not believed, medication withheld. Expected to use a bedpan with male visitors in the room. Food and hygiene levels vile. But we're meant to put up with it as it 'free' apparently. It's dangerous and degrading.

I had spinal surgery in August and went private - it was like stopping in a hotel. Food was great, care was wonderful, staff chatty and happy. Different world. They asked me if I wanted to go home and I said no. My consultant is actually interested in getting me the best result not something that 'will do'.

As a nurse these kind of stories make me incredibly sad. The NHS is free at the point of contact for everyone, no matter how complex or trivial the condition. I left ward work as we were chronically understaffed for the complexity of the patients we cared for. Call bells were left unanswered for unacceptable amounts of time and patients not given the level of care I would want for anybody due to simply not having the staff to everything. I appreciate that people have bad experiences but that's largely due to lack of staff and funding, the staff are fundamentally kind, its not the kind of job you can do if you don't care. If you have an issue please please bring it up whilst your there, nothing can change unless people know what's happening.

Interesting about the door and bin slamming at night.
Every hospital I've ever worked in changed to door closers and silent bins years ago.
You simply can't slam them.
Perhaps complain and suggest this.

Just to add some nurses are absolutely awful.
Impossible to get rid of and managers don't care as long as they fill the shifts.
It stopped being about patients years ago.
Now a box ticking exercise.
Target met ✅

Those who do care usually end up being driven out or driven to breakdowns.

I have PTSD from my birth 20 years ago - total neglect. My case was written up as part of a study but it didn't change anything. I got access to and read all my notes about 5 years ago - endless lies and nasty comments. Deeply weird behaviour by one GP in particular. They also wrote that I had "OCD" when in fact my mum had cleaned the hospital room because there was dried blood and faeces on the floor and walls. Just disgusting and neglectful in every way. And it isn't 'free' - it isn't even cheap by world standards.

💯💯💯 some of the nurses are so very uncaring and lazy. The cleanliness was OK except the toilets but I guess it's hard to catch when the patients mess the toilet up. Some of the nurses seem to have no idea what they are doing and also the noise at night is so annoying. Talking and laughing loudly at 2am. Banging and slamming doors. It's horrible 😞

I have had an absolutely shocking year with my health and the NHS have been negligent at times. I was forced to go private but can’t afford that anymore so back to the NHS. I think the years of mismanagement and the abuse of the health system has all but destroyed the NHS

Doesn’t surprise me, I’m a HCP and listened for years to patients stories of hospitals and never quite believed other HCP could be that bad. Then dh got cancer and I found out for myself that it really is that bad.

Theres always been a contempt for patients behind closed doors (especially HIV, MH patients and anyone with an addiction) and I’ve seen it myself at work but it’s not hidden anymore.

PALS at Pinderfields hospital in Wakefield, were not in the slightest bit interested in helping me. They just treated me like I was lying and basically just gave excuses for horrible behaviour and treatment by the nurses. I haven't got the energy to try and find out where my next point of call would be for me to try and complain about my treatment.

If the hospital was in England you can provide information on your experience here. The CQC do not investigate individual complaints (you need to follow the trusts complaint process for that) but if lots of people are reporting similar experiences that might trigger them to take a look.

https://www.cqc.org.uk/give-feedback-on-care

My visits to amazing hospitals like GOSH or the Royal Marsden were where I encoutered excellent professional standards - so why can't all hospitals be like this?

DD had less than amazing care at GOSH. They wanted to do an MRI scan and lumbar puncture of her under general anaesthetic. I only agreed to the lumbar puncture, under a general anaesthetic. No fault of ours, as we were there at 7 am as instructed, and they got round to her at 5 pm. They did the MRI scan, but there was a delay and the general anaesthetic was wearing off. They made three attempts at the lumbar puncture and told DD (with SEN) to keep still, a word she doesn’t understand, being a conceptual word. She told me, it fucking hurt. (She was 16). Eventually they gave up.

The consultant rang me up the next day and apologised. However for a young person with hidden disabilities, who frequently needs medical attention, I didn’t want that kind of unnecessary experience for her, in case she was terrified next time, she had to go to hospital!

I recently went to a private clinic as a NHS patient, everything was fine until the aftercare/discharge bit, the nurse didn't know how to put the blood pressure cuff on and then put it on upside down, I asked for tea, with milk, he came back with peppermint tea and milk, the other nurse nearly gave me the wrong discharge notes with another patients personal details and op details on, I was told to get changed, I left my disposable shorts on the floor as wasn't sure where to put them and was also struggling to bend down because of the pain and she said "the bin is there" in a horrible tone, a patient in the next bay was being sick and she rolled her eyes and slowly walked to her with a sick bowl. I've been to a private hospital as NHS patient before and the care was great.

I've just come out of my local hospital after an admission for asthma. ED was carnage with 160 patients, but I still felt looked after, and the ward I went to was lovely! They were very busy, but I was well looked after, and felt really safe. It was clean, and nights were quiet, and I managed to get some sleep between nebulisers. To be fair, I've had loads of admissions with asthma, and always had a good experience.

Wards vary so much. DH has been in and out of hospital several times this year. Back in the summer he was basically dumped in a ward, no one came near it for hours, staff offhand, he looked a total mess and smelled. He was desperate to come home.
But back in September the ward he was in could not have been better, lovely staff, plenty of engagement with the patients, he looked beautifully cared for every day.

There was a girl who used to go to the same gym as me, gave off ‘cool girl’ vibes. Attitude towards other gym users was unpleasant and sneery if we were in teams and others weren’t working to her satisfaction. Very much thought she was above everyone else. When I found out she was a nurse, I vowed there and then that I would crawl out of any hospital she worked at on my hands and knees before letting someone like that anywhere near me.

She won’t be the only one.

Dh just been in as a day case; it is a good thing it was nothing major as the left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing. Different updates from different people, given incorrect info and this was senior staff. Finally as he was leaving the unit 'manager' had to interrupt a member of staff to make sure we were given the correct info. Frightening if you consider all that can go wrong if the patient can't advocate for themselves and then even if they can does anyone listen.

Blame and threats really help to support a compassionate culture.

Totally agree with this and I'm a nurse.
The whole system is corrupt.
Management is non existent, it's completely toxic and a box ticking " everything is fine lalala" exercise.
Anyone who stands up to them is destroyed.

And I hope some of the nurses on Mumsnet are crping themselves right now reading this because they know they are guilty.

What?