Are patients not washed any more in hospital?

[Shortkiwi]

I am a nurse of over 40yrs plus. My 93 yr old father has been in hospital for a week. We have visited every day and had to wash and shave him in the afternoon or evening because it hasn’t been done. When I asked if he could be showered one evening, for the next day, I think they showered him but without using soap or shampoo, basically hosed him down from what he reported. His hair was definitely not washed. His teeth have not been cleaned without us doing them. Shaving is definitely not on the agenda. When I was a young nurse it was a given that patients were bathed each day, either in the bathroom or in bed. Teeth/dentures were cleaned and male patients shaved. We were admonished if these things weren’t done. Dad’s ward was very quiet today with several nurses chatting at the nurses station. They were very happy to get us any personal items we didn’t have. I just think if it wasn’t for us he wouldn’t be clean. He actually said, through his dementia, how much better he felt today after we showered him and washed his hair and said it would last him for a while! Which it won’t of course!
We had a list, in the old days, in terms of total patient care, in which we had to tick off items of personal hygiene for every patient in both our theory and practice. I’m sad for those that might not have relatives to attend to personal hygiene these days. It has never been discussed that we would do it, it’s just not been done. Basically, we have had to take the initiative. Years ago there were charts and care plans at the end of the bed, now it’s all computerised. I can excuse the 3 days of hell in A&E but not these last 4 days on the ward. My Dad is not mobile unless he has a lot of help and he is confused.

This is such a narrow minded view it's unbelievable. When is the last time you were on a ward and how many hours did you observe of this apparent nurse behaviour?

We’ve seen this and it’s an unpopular opinion on some wards. You’d arrive with the Night Shift nurses unpacking knitting and magazines at the desk. Whilst day nurses were run off their feet and couldn’t complete nursing home discharge paperwork. Like all walks of life you get great and shit and you’re not allowed to call out the shit ones. But I think if family are able to help with care and have the time they should do.

Maybe your dad lets you do it, but refuses when asked by nursing staff. I'm a nurse on an elderly care ward. All our patients are washed, teeth cleaned and shaved daily, but if they decline then we have to respect that, and it gets documented.

Last time I was in hospital was for a month while being treated for sepsis. There was no personal care evident then either. The nurses on the ward didn’t appear to be busy and from what I could tell heartily despised all the patients. I felt particularly sorry for the dementia patients.

Nope doesn’t happen. I’m a regular visit to hospital and I’ve seen probably 3 people if that get wheeled to have a bath in 8 years. In my experience the nursing assistants come round with towels and offer you a bowl of water and soap etc. I’ve only ever seen the totally immobile patients get a bed bath but that’s just a quick wipe wash. Certainly not a shave or teeth clean. You don’t need a shave in hospital sorry .

@Shortkiwi

There are half empty wards somewhere in the UK?

OP why didn’t you call ward staff out on it ? Not a complaint as such, but just ask why ? Might not look busy and they are chatting, but maybe they were making sure some mine confused didn’t get out of bed and fall ?

In lots of other countries patient’s family does all personal care, has the health system been stripped so bare that it’s happening now ?

I’ve seen a lot of things change in my career and come full circle. Basically things have been changed for no good reason and come back under another name. I want basic nursing care and the 10 essential points (or however many it was) to be essential for all patients today. We had to make sure they were fulfilled, either by the patient or by us nurses on a daily basis and it had to be charted. The HCPs have been very nice and friendly but washing, teeth cleaning and shaving don’t seem to be on the agenda. I wouldn’t mind if we got in and they said ‘We haven’t had time to do a, b or c’ I would gladly do it.
The difference to a patient in terms of feeling clean and fresh is huge and makes them feel so much better obvs!

I was in a while ago and the nurses had a habit of leaving elderly patients sat on bedpans for up to an hour at a time, a lady in our bay would get very distressed when she had to use it because she knew what was going to happen. She didn't have a wash during the week I was in there, she used to get really upset about this, especially on hair wash day which she went to the hairdressers for. No matter how much she rang the bell she'd be she'd be ignored......this was during covid so no visitors and it was very distressing to witness. I did find many always found time for a good gossip around the nurses station however The ward I was on was half empty, these weren't angels resting their wings for an hour because of exhaustion, they were downright lazy and.neglectful

when dp was in hospital they came around with a bowl and helped him clean his teeth and wash. When I was in hospital for a week not long before (post-birth), I was refused my water jug being re-filled, despite not being able to walk and suffering kidney failure- was told to get it myself. I think it’s pot luck, but generally the ‘care’ side of nursing has gone downhill.

Sadly a common experience.

@Princesspollyyy that’s great you are doing that, it’s great to hear.. He definitely isn’t refusing, it’s not been done. And if they had tried and he had refused I would have expected them to tell me.

My husband was dangerously ill in hospital for over a month and unable to go to the bathroom in 2017. He was “cared for” in bed. Had I not washed him again myself every day there would have been serious problems caused by lack of cleanliness.

Staffing levels were pretty good then. I dread to think what people are having to cope with now.

I don’t think you can generalise on one experience, maybe they thought you liked washing your dad, so left it for you. Most washes are done by HCAs where I work as the medication can take so long in the morning. However people have to be realistic about the kind of wash a person can have when there are 10 patients to help with washing toileting and eating.

Back in the early noughties when I was a teenager my grandma had a series of strokes and was in and out of our local hospital for a few weeks until she passed. I used to get the bus to school an hour early so I could hop off at the hospital stop, brush her hair and wash her face and then get back on a bus to school. Once a week I'd go in late, skipping my free study period to go wash her hair. If I didn't do it it didn't seem to be done for her. At least the staff were nice enough to let me on the ward to see her when visitors (and a lone teen) weren't meant to be there.

Not in my experience unfortunately. I live in Ireland and was in hospital for several nights for a broken back. I wasn’t washed once. It was a disgusting way to leave a patient. I also wasn’t given any assistance for food. The tray was left on the table that I obviously couldn’t reach because I was lying flat on my back and unable to move! To add insult to injury, I was in a ‘private’ room in the public hospital as I have health insurance and my stay cost over 7 thousand Euro!

I'm a regular patient, and have only had a wash and change once.
Once after eight days I came home stinking, in the same knickers I went in.
I had 2 pressure sores and sore skin, which nobody dealt with.

This is really appalling to read. My father had terminal cancer and was in hospital for periods. He was really traumatised by seeing people calling for the nurses in terrible pain or fallen on the floor and just left here. He struggled to help them though very ill himself. He said some of the nursing staff just didn’t give a shit.

@headstone Im not generalising, believe me. There’s been no discussion about personal hygiene, it’s just not getting done. They are definitely not leaving it for me because I like to do it, they are just not doing it. Believe me the last thing I want to do is wash my father’s ‘bits’ - its so degrading.

Once a week?
That's appalling. Last care home I worked in (only left in 2017) we did strip wash every morning and shower or bath every evening.
Meant each staff member bathing or showering 5 or 6 people in the space of 2 or 3 hours after evening meal but it was done

Did you ask the nursing staff why he hadn't been washed and shaved?

Sorry last message was replying to @greengables4 but didn't tag for some reason

They just seem to do obs and nothing else. Allot of chatting/ gossiping whilst ignoring patients. I had an untapped cannula flopping around making my hand bleed, asked 6 times for it to be taken out or taped and was ignored, I have a big scar now.

If you speak to them about it what do they say? Can you lodge a complaint?

@Disgruntledpelicanlady It makes me happy to hear of any good stories but they seem very few and far between. All I know is that I don’t want to be this incapacitated but sadly it seems we have no choice.

Is that right aye? 🙄