Why are wards so noisy?

[EachandEveryone]

My femoral artery went on Monday I was on my own and could’ve died or lost my leg. At first I was on a post surgery unit it was blissful and I tried to keep a low profile but it wasn’t to last and now I’m on a vascular ward. The care is spot on and I’m very lucky so feel awful complaining about the noise. There’s only four of us on the ward. From the minute the staff come on to do the night shift it’s like the noise goes up ten fold. As if they have been to Australia for a year. And it carries on until midnight . I’ve tried to make a joke of it as I’ve been a nurse for 25 years myself. The lights are like a punishment and don’t go off until midnight. I understand the need for two hourly obs but is there any need to put the lights on and wake the person fully up? At 5am it’s like 9am in the real world. The meds start, the cleaners come, the hot drinks are served. Then doctors round at 8. I’m extremely greatful to be here but I think expecting patients to recover of 4/5 hours sleep is just awful.

Sounds awful. I don't work on the wards anymore but we always had lights out at 10. Can you get a sleep mask and some ear plugs? Maybe have a word with the Nurse in Charge to see if they can give a gentle reminder to the night staff to be a bit more protective of patients rest.

Gosh they’re all back in for the night. It’s early yet so Incant complain.

A member of my family was in hospital recently. It wasn’t the staff who were noisy, it was one of the other patients who listened to everything without headphones. Shouldn’t be allowed and it should be managed by staff.

I was surprised (disappointed) at how few of the night staff had indoor voices!

The hospital friends shop will usually sell eye mask and ear plugs (or you could play a sleep playlist/white noise while you sleep).

Wishing you better soon.

Have spent a lot of time in hospital this year on paediatric ward and on postnatal ward and completely empathise. Lots of banging of doors, staff talking at full daytime volume in a silent bay at 2am, laughing and gossiping loudly at the desk etc. I used to work in hospital and always tried to whisper on nightshifts, used to use my iphone torch rather than put big lights on etc.

Sleep deprivation in hospital is grim

I feel your pain. Having recently done a week on the surgical ward. Noisy and full lights till midnight. All back on at 6ish. Lots of beeping.
Care was fantastic and I was so so grateful.
But having never been in hopsital before it was an eye opener.

You can’t expect them to do limb obs in the dark. Colour temperature capillary refill and find Doppler signals …..Also If people need overnight obs then it’s hard to do in the dark although dimmed lighting would be ideal.
We tend to move people to rehab bays within our vascular ward once they are well and recovering and you might be able to sleep between 10 and 6 if it wasn’t for the frail elderly demented patients needing help over night…and people needing help to get to the loo.

Get well soon OP !

Your experience is exactly as mine was when I spent 2 weeks in hospital last year. The noise from the nurses was horrendous, laughing, messing around, talking loudly and lights on till gone 12.

I rather grumpily complained one morning, thanks to the massive sleep deprivation, to the nurse in charge and her response was ‘it’s all part of the hospital experience - you have to expect it’.

There isn’t an excuse for it, it’s just the norm and the culture on certain wards - like too much of the NHS, just crap patient care, poor attitude and nothing to do with under funding and being short of staff.

We provide masks and ear plugs. Lights out about 8pm. (Children’s ward) however there is little we can do about babies crying. Etc. the nights when cleft surgeries are done are the worst.

Obviously I’m a nurse and understand it’s a vascular ward but I’m not on post op obs now and, tbh the nurses on the wards doing the obs well, half of them don’t react to the fact that my sats are sitting at 88 and others will put me back on the oxygen. It’s swings and roundabouts. Same with drugs I’m either asking for them or telling them they need to be separated like my thyroxine and they will still stand over me whilst I take them all. And fancy asking me why I need help to get to the loo when I’ve just nearly bled to death and had surgery. You see I’m convinced all this doing everything on the computer isn’t helping with patient handovers.

can you tell I’m itching to get back to work?😀😀😀 not that my work life is ever going to be the same I have no idea what the future holds for me. I have received excellent care though. I count myself very lucky to be near a hospital with a vascular centre I don’t know if it’s true but I’ve been told most hospitals couldn’t have done the operation there and then as not every hospital has the facilities.

Sadly I've received poor care from nurses like this. Laughing ridiculously loudly all night long. Banging doors and bin lids. Talking loudly when there is no need. Doesn't seem to be much empathy or genuine care for patients. Hygiene has been awful at times as well. I have experiences some good care but 80% was worryingly bad.

My elderly relative recently had a 2 month stay in hospital and the banging of a nearby bin lid drove her mad throughout the night.

In the end, her husband brought in a strip of rubber and the nurses happily let him glue it round the edge of the bin, to stop her from complaining 🤣

You’re not being unreasonable at all. And it’s one of the main reasons I left ward nursing. No real compassion or person-centred care displayed by the majority of staff I worked with, and everyone hating on me for trying to change it and respect our patients.

Get well soon… sounds like you have had a rough old time of it!!!

I used to hate the lights only getting dimmed a bit. I can't sleep with light.

I agree it’s the most impossible environment to get better in. No rest at all, and everything is such hard work. By far the worst is really noisy nurses chatting. I get it’s their job and they need some socialising but it’s just awful if you want to sleep.

I always have earplugs in my handbag and take an eye mask for planned admittances - it’s torture at times on a ward

I sympathise, I’ve experienced that before. The only acceptable hospital stay is in a room of your own with a door. It is so hellishly noisy and disturbing on a 4 bedded ward. Can anyone bring you in ear phones, eye mask if you’re staying longer?

There is definitely a real lack of awareness and care towards patients’ need for peace and sleep. Ridiculous as it should be obvious.

I spent two weeks on a thoracic ward and it was exhausting. At night, like you say, being woken for obs (I swear they did these when I was half asleep), plus patients with dementia crying. It feels like you barely slept then the ward rounds start in the mornings. I agree ear plugs and eye masks are the way forward.

What do you mean "As if they have been to Australia for a year." ?

It would be daytime then.

I have spent many nights in hospital over the years, totally unable to get any meaningful sleep, so now I take in Loop earplugs. My main gripe is how bloody hot it is in the hospitals. I half expect parrots to be flying about it is like the tropics!

I spent two weeks in hospital recently, it was awful noisy, bright and hot. They wake you in the night whether you need it or not. I was moved ward three times due to bed shortages, had to advocate for myself and explain what I needed. The last ward wa not suitable for my needs. Physio was slow to start and I lost a lot of muscle /energy. The care staff do clean up/bed changes/ give out food, the nurses give meds, the doctors see you for a few minutes and are given a snapshot of what’s happening then make decisions that can massively affect your recovery even if it’s the first time they have laid eyes on you. It’s so disjointed, nobody really sees you. No one knows if you eat/sleep/drink/move.

I feel very sorry for the extremely ill especially those who have no one to advocate for them. When I was at my worst I literally felt like I might die and no one would notice until either meal time or my meds were due.

Bring back the convalescence ward!

Sorry don’t mean to derail the thread, but how does a femoral artery just “go”? I’m worried now that’s even a possibility 🥴