AIBU to think that Cameron is telling nurses to do things that they already do?

[MyNameIsNotNurse]

Or aim to do given the oppertunity.
Link

David Cameron's 'ideas'
Hourly checks on patients to make sure they have had enought to eat/drink and are comefortable.
Isn't this just basic care?
Also to have members of the public doing spot checks on their local hospitals, isn't this just going a bit too far?

I would really like him to do a 12 hour shift on a busy ward, with sick people needing more than just the hourly walk around to make sure that things are ok.
What about the patients who are in need of 15 minute observations. Patients with poor mobility who take more than 30 seconds to get to the toilet and needs assistance every step of the way. What about the drug rounds? Then multiply that by 30 pateints for 2 staff nurses (some with little experiance) If 1 patient is really ill thats 1 nurse down so 30 patients beeing looked after by 1 nurse, and maybe 1 or 2 HCA.

Why does he not discuss the staffing issues, which most wards have the mountains of paper work which each and every nurse has to get through every shift which takes away from the care of patients.
Most nurses I know stay behind to finish paperwork, turn into work when they or their family is not well, go without breaks, work 12hours a shift, do extra shifts and Given up our measily 3% payrise over 3 years.

He's just making a lot of noise saying we should do things we already do in order that the public think we're not doing them and we lose support?

Well not the last few times dd was in hospital.

By all means argue that nurses are massively over stretched. But let's not pretend that every patient gets caring supportive treatment.

but its NOT being done, patients are going hours and hours between offers of sips of drinks (not because staff don't WANT to offer it I hasten to add, but because they are with other patients)

The good think is if the hourly food/drink checks are made a big "thing" from this then you can doccument that it was NOT complied with because of staffing or too many all care patients per nurse etc and then the ward has a better arguement for recruiting or being allowed more bank staff

the good THING

I saw that this morning and so was so worked up about it! I love my job, I couldnt imagine doing anything else and I do my very best all the time. BUT, I work on a 35 bed surgical ward, on lates we have 2 trained and 2 untrained on shift, at least 5 or so discharges every afternoon, plus people coming back from surgery, drugs rounds, helping people to the toilet, dressings, prepping for surgery etc etc. You do 14 hour shifts with no breaks and spend loads of time doing ridiculous paperwork, usually in duplicate or triplicate.

All the nurses I work with are very conscientious and love their job, but you've only got one pair of hands!!!

Not the times that FIL was in hospital . He was just lucky that MIL was able to spend most of the day with him to feed him, and others in his area of the ward. The nurses were so busy up at the nurses' station, chatting, laughing, drinking tea/coffee...

You don't really think those things are already done, do you, OP?

No I agree that Not all patients get the care they deserve, nad some are treated quite poorly which is really sad, and makes me ashamed to call myself a nurse.
but I would like to think the majority of nurses provide good care.
Unfortunatly the negitive press speakes louder than the positive

YANBU at all. I did a short spell as a nursing student (pregnancy made me drop out) and most nurses were conscientious, regular checks took place - generally done by students or HCAs as nurses were busy with medications, IVs, wound care etc.

The only thing I would say is let patients relatives in at mealtimes to help them eat as the staffing levels are too low to encourage all the people to eat who need to be coaxed/fed by hand.

If my recent experience with ds1 is anything to go by I would say yes, they do need telling and therefore yabu. Ds was in for observation as they thought he had appendicitis. In one day one nurse looked at him once. The staff were busy at their workstation doing a variety of things including looking through catalogues; writing their Christmas cards and surfing the net on the hospital pc (they were also doing this in a&e when I initially took him in) - caring for and interacting with the children in the ward? No.

but thats just not good enough ninjanurse. Sorry but its not. Oh we did what we could lets go home. NO! report what you didn't do and why every time or it'll never change!

Im not dismissing what you are saying JudgeJudy, and I know it does happen, but some shifts, I dont even get a chance to sit down, never mind sit down for a cuppa and a natter at the nurses station. The trouble is, the media gets hold of these stories and it tars all nurses with the same brush....that we are lazy, over educated and uncaring....

Pile of shite!
I was so tempted to tell my staff they only need to tend to the patients hourly today as that what DC says but I managed to be responsible and keep my mouth shut.
Paperwork needn't get in the way of patient care if all nurses do what I did today and stay behind for two hours (unpaid) and do it then.

Not MNing, surely, Philmassive?

okay so say I said that you are caring, correctly educated and hard working ninja nurse, NOW will you comment on the issue of food and drink being offered/checked?

or just huff around looking for a pat on the back and an "as you were"

I would really like him to do a 12 hour shift on a busy ward,

i would give him 30 minutes - then he would flake and fail

The things is Reduce...that is seen as being fully staffed on our ward...our ward manager is good, but even her hands are tied by those higher up who say how many staff we can have...

I think the culture varies massively between different hospitals or maybe even different wards. Although I have seen good and terrible nurses working on the same ward, and I felt very sorry for the good nurses who have to pick up the slack and listen to complaints about the standard of care because even though it isn't her fault, the patients and family know she is one of the ones who cares enough to listen.

so do you not think that if this was implimented as a bigger deal then you would have a better arguement for more staff?

when all the forms you have are ticked then it looks to higher up like you can get on with the amt of staff you have

Reduce, I'd love to report every time I didn't manage to get something done because of woeful understaffing or lack of resources, unfortunately at my trust the reporting now has to be done via a very long form on the computer, all sections of which must be completed before it'll let you submit it. Reports will not be accepted in any other format, and even completing one at speed takes a good 20 minutes. If I haven't had time to do essential nursing tasks, am I not going to want to spend that minimum 20 minutes catching up on actual nursing?

I don't think his proposals are unfair and, although they may appear to come from the ministry of the bleeding obvious there are some hospitals where basic care procedures aren't followed.

Maybe in your hospital and department they are good but I know people who have been in hospital and have been neglected.

Sorry OP but I think David Cameron has a point.

Well to be fair, he does say that he wants to reduce the paperwork.

At the same time, I think that looking at this one piece of the puzzle is not right, we have to look at the NHS as a whole, and the cuts across the board are shocking.

I think this is typical Cameron spin. Focus on the thing that people want to hear, that nurses will have more time to do what the do best blahblahblah...

David Cameron doesn't have a point, because he is saying this as though nurses were just lazing about on their arses eating biscuits instead of not doing that basic care because they are understaffed/overstretched and tending to someone on 15 min obs instead, meaning the "low risk" patient gets woeful care because the "high risk" ones take up all the time.

Another box to tick?

I am not a nurse btw and when I have been in hospital (with exception of postnatal ward) I have found the care to be regular and consistent.