To think there’s no need for tv’s on hospital wards

I think when they work night shifts, their working day is their daytime so to speak and they forget that it's night time for the patients. Hence the radio and inane chitchat on my son's ward. I actually loudly shushed them at one point when they were changing the bed next to my son's at 2am ready for another patient, and were making small talk in daytime voices. 2am! Of course they have to change the bed but "my boyfriend's still getting used to living in London what with all the traffic blah blah" SHUT UP.

My 2yo took 90mins of screaming to settle to sleep in that hospital bed, finally settled at 11pm, if they'd triggered that again at 2am I'd have resorted to violent crime

The last time I was in hospital, I didn’t sleep for four nights/ days straight. It sent me into a depressive episode.
The main thing that kept me awake was the nurses.
They made so much unnecessary noise at night it was almost like they were doing it on purpose.

When I was in hospital for 7 days after a very bad miscarriage, the woman two beds down always had about 5 evening visitors, and the nurses just laughed and turned a blind eye (as that was way too many guests). The visitors actually brought in a portable TV, set it up on her food tray, and she would giggle all night at anything she was watching.

Then the woman directly next to me would call her boyfriend literally in the middle of the night. "hey! Yeah! It's me!" and then chat for absolutely ages.

I had to wonder why they were taking up hospital beds as they seemed really well. Well enough to screech with laughter and call boyfriends all night long.

You have my sympathy and you should say something.

I feel your pain (metaphorically so to speak OP). Hospitals are awful for this, and a stay in hospital is such an ordeal for so many reasons in addition to the underlying medical need, it’s so counter productive to rest which is essential for recovery. My DH recently spent an extended period in hospital after a very serious accident and he’s very noise sensitive at the best of times so really really struggled with all the additional noise that was so out of our control, and affect that had on sleep. And that was with a room to himself as well. The staff were all brilliant, and I completely understand that all the beeps from machines etc are necessary but that doesn’t detract from all the reasons why being in hospital is so dehumanising in a way.

I’m glad at least that visitors are being quiet and respectful of people’s need for quiet and rest. I would speak to the ward manager and just keep on politely and firmly asking every single time for it to be turned off. I hope you get well very soon OP.

Last time I was in hospital, I was in a 4bay ward. It wasn't too bad until one of the nurses showed the other 3 patients how to use the TVs. 3 TVs all loud and all on different channels. I was ready to weep.

YANBU OP…I ended up having quite a salty encounter with nurses on a ward. I went in to see my Dad when he was in. They had individual televisions that would come over the bed on these massive mechanical arms with Headphones but one persons was broke so his family insisted on having the telly on really loud he’d be asleep 90% of the time but still have his TV blaring out making it a misery for everyone else.

My Dad looked broken as he just could not get any sleep even with earplugs in. He cried (in all my years at that point had only ever seen my dad cry twice before that) begging me to get him out of there.

I turned that patients TV off (he’d be fast asleep snoring away loudly) everytime I was in and other patients would say thank you. They’d get an hour or two of sleep/downtime but as soon as the other family would come in TV was back on full blast. I did ask them if they could get him some headphones but they didn’t want to, saying he prefers the TV loud!

I spoke to the Ward Manager about the fact people including my Dad are trying to rest so they can get out of hospital not leave worse than they came in. She agreed and spoke to the family. They ended up moving the other patient into a private room. I would walk past the room when entering the ward and they would have the door open with the TV blasting and them all shouting over each other but at least it was the other end of the ward opposite toilets and the nurses station and not near other patients.

The TV in my ward room saved my sanity when I was in hospital for 3 weeks. The problem is not TVs, the problem is them being put on when no one wants to watch - I always checked with whoever I was sharing the room with if they were ok with the TV being on, that's the way to do it.

Sounds like you’re in a four bedded bay with communal TV which can make it tricky if all the patients have different preferences!

The cleaner is obviously trying to provide a distraction/lighten the mood, maybe patients in the past have liked this (I’ve known many that do) but everyone is different. If you’re sure the other women in your bay feel the same as you just simply tell the cleaner you would all prefer to not have the TV on, I’m sure she’ll respect your wishes.

I'm sorry you're ill and stuck in hospital, OP. I agree with others though, the problem is not the tv; it's the cleaner turning it on when no one has asked her to do that.

My ds had an overnight stay in hospital the other day.

On AMU and each bed had its own TV. (At a cost!)

i took him his headphones and tablet!

some people do need the entertainment but agree it needs to be personal rather than enforced.

DS1’s best friend was in hospital with a traumatic brain injury before Christmas. He was going out of his mind with boredom, once he was out of ICU and HDU so I gave him my Sky Go details so he could log into my account, on his iPad, and watch the sports that he loves. He was in his own room for the majority of the time so he didn’t disturb others.

“Visitors are all being very quiet and respectful often just sitting watching their loved one sleep.”

So why are they there? One of my pet peeves is visitors who just hang around, especially if you have to use a commode and there is nothing between you and them but an inadequate curtain. A lady in the next bed couldn’t stop vomiting - I really don’t think having a couple of visitors for hours did anything for her or them. It was so much better when visiting times were limited and strictly enforced (other than for children). I agree with a PP, though, that single rooms are the way forward. You really do leave your dignity at the door with the NHS.

If a drunk in a pub picks up a chair and throws it at someone, it’s not the pub’s fault for having chairs.

The problem is the cleaner, not the TV.

They do in the hospitals I've been in recently.

This is hilarious 🤣☠️ Accidentally touting for business. 🤣

This. I had an entire week on women's surgical, bored out of my brain and in pain. Having the TV on gave me something to focus on. A distraction from pain and a break from the boredom.
I was woken every hour over night by a nurse checking my signs but couldn't be helped. The bleeps from the machines were background buzz and just faded out after a while.
We are all different.

Do beds not have headphones for hospital radio or individual screens any more?

I have watched awful videos of crap entertainment in old folks home - really awful stuff.

my dad was in hospital for two weeks. He was in a lot of pain. He hates pop music. I would have been raging if someone decided crap pop music would ‘lift his mood’. It is so patronising.

Why do people assume they know best and why when someone is sick or elderly do people assume they suddenly enjoy crappy day time TV, pop music, and child like enterainment.

i know the radio (unless it was the news and pontifical podcasts) would have made my dad’s hospital stay intolerable.

In my hospital trust every bed has its own tv that you pay for. They're attached to the wall and swing out.

A communal radio or TV sounds awful in a hospital ward. Having to listen when you want quiet and other people's choices is horrible.

I was in hospital for a week last year. The TVs weren't working and I was eternally grateful!

@Lougle

well put, also unless you are incapable on medical grounds, they encourage longer stay patients to dress in the daytime for the same reason, I’ve dropped off joggers and t shirts to a lady only this week I know whose in hospital for the foreseeable future (probably discharge to nursing home if I’m honest)

It depends, sometimes having something like the radio on is good for those in the circumstances you describe, music can lift the mood of people. From personal experience I find pain can be coped with better with something else on my mind. Not everyone owns their own device. It’s common to have the radio on in hospitals I’ve experienced