Do nursing staff not wash patients anymore or change sheets?

Agree 100
This scorn on nurses having degrees is misogynistic
I'm sick of hearing "in my day nurses nursed" rhetoric
And don't even start me on the obsession with nurses uniforms
Yes, bad care does exist

But it's not just nurses

I work as a hca. Yes we wash patients and change sheets.
speak to the ward sister/manager.

Sorry that was to OP and anyone who thought I was harsh!

So @turkeyboots would you just sit there while the nurses washed and changed your child? You wouldn’t want to be involved in this in anyway? See this is also the issue, there is a sense of entitlement these days with the general public seeking medical care. The NHS is on its knees, there are NO nurses and the ones that remain are expected to provide medical care to 20-30 patients yet people will moan if they wait a few hours for a nurse to get to them on the community (the nurse has likely been driving around the city to other patients, not, as this thread suggests sitting eating cake) and they will still sit beside their child who needs changed and go ‘meh they are in hospital so it’s a nurses job’ Sorry… no.

How is your DD doing op. Is she getting better?

No not at all, on the last visit she also was attached to all sorts, but I did do everything myself and ask for help when I needed it. Things obviously vary greatly from hospital to hospital. We are in and out a fair bit , disabilities, cancer, I guess I’ve just got used to making myself at home !

A relative of mine had a dreadful experience in hospital whilst there for a planned operation.

She didn't make a formal complaint, but sent a letter with "suggestions". At the time she was on a hospital inspection team in another area, but her hospital staff seemed oblivious to this.

If this happens again ask to speak to the ward pharmacist. They should explain protocol re drugs and if there’s been a drug error they should take it v seriously. However, they may not admit it to you outright . Health care professionals very rarely criticise another HCP to patients, even if in fact they have a low opinion of said HCP.

Wards absolutely have buzzers and if they don’t there is something seriously wrong!

What’s shocking about feeding your own child and washing them ? I certainly wouldn’t expect staff to do that for my child in hospital nor would my child want it (I would expect them to change the sheets though). Different for adults .

my dad was in hospital for 2 weeks with a broken hip at 88, did not get offered a shower,just a bowl and wipe to do, we shaved him and brushed his teeth . All the patients in ward were looked after the same by visitors. I did ask a nurse if they could shower him and she nearly died. So I did it myself for him

I was a nurse. I am often asked if I would like to re-register now and this is honestly one of the reasons I wouldn't. I can guarantee that when I was working every single one of my patients was offered water/help/a bed bath and clean sheets for every single day shift (and if needed on a night). It's so much more than just washing someone- you can assess their pain, their skin, their mobility, their breathing, and have a chat about their home set up. I cannot believe that this basic nursing care is no longer provided. Well done for saying something- I would also suggest complaining to PALS. When did this lack of care become acceptable?

Ive just got out of hospital and healthcare assistants changed my sheets daily. When I was on bed rest they rolled me side to side. Thry helped me wash my back and checked for sores and gave me a bowl of water and soap to wash myself.
The second i was able to get out of the bed they expected me to use the bathroom.

Im sp sorry your daughter isnt getting the care she needs. I hope she recovers quickly.

when I was working as a nurse I was supposed to work 12 hour shifts with half hour breaks but sometimes you would end up doing a 14 hour shift with no break at all particularly on nights and you don’t get paid for that . If you tried to complain to managers you would be told it’s your own time management that’s the issue . The managers weren’t around in the evenings and on nights and it wasn’t our own time management .. literally no one could actually do the amount of work required in the space of time provided . I went home from shifts at ten o clock at night sometimes realising I hadn’t peed since 6 am . Looking back on it it was just absolutely awful. I don’t know who these nurses are who are supposedly sitting around eating cake and chatting . That never happened in my day anyway that’s for sure

If you are in peads, they seem to expect you to do the nursing. Change sheet, feed and wash your child and ensure they get their medication. Its been like that for years now and its shocking.

Is she the most senior nurse on the ward today? If not then I would raise your complaint higher.

What the hell? Seriously? This is basic care- of course a member of staff should be doing this. Would you suggest the same if your relative was incontinent or had weeping wounds?
Perhaps we should also be feeding our relatives in hospital as well….

My df was in hospital for two months during lockdown. When we got him home he had long hair and a beard, curling nails, grime in his skin creases and was skin and bone.

Maybe the staff should check!

I'm not a nurse but my son was in intensive care plus 4 different wards over 2 hospitals only 2 years ago and each and every single one had buzzers.

All paeds wards/icu as he was 8 at the time but I'm assuming if paeds wards/icu had buzzers then it would be the same for the adult versions?

are you a nurse and do you actually know anything about nursing ? Doesn’t sound like it to me. It didn’t “go to pot” after becoming a degree . Nurses are highly trained professionals and there is a lot of specialist knowledge required for the job not to mention a huge amount of responsibility.
there is no excuse for someone not being offered a wash when they are sick but that doesn’t mean that nursing shouldn’t be a degree. However it is clearly poor nursing care . Doctors also provide poor care such as not washing hands before giving needles etc and no one ever says it “shouldn’t be a degree” when you hear about poor medical care . People love trotting this out about nurses for some reason. I think there is some misogyny behind it whether conscious or unconscious because it’s a female dominated profession.

Maybe she doesn't want her mum washing her.

Have you actually had a conversation about this with the staff on the ward OP? If you’re there constantly with your daughter they might assume that you prefer to administer her personal care but unless you talk someone you’ll not discover what their normal is will you?

Maybe one of the nurses on this thread can clarify whether normal wards on longer have buzzers? Surely that’s a safety issue.