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?

Sofa I was merely confused by your post as it didn't make sense.
Disinterest means lack of bias and is not synonymous with unconcern, so made no sense in regard to rest of post about 2 nurses who had given you poor care.
Sorry for seeking clarity.

reducerecycleregift

i once sat at the desk with a cuppa because i was six months pregnant and i hadn't had a break or even a drink for 9 hours. i didn't want to leave the ward area because i had a very sick patient and my colleague was busy with an admission

so your judgey attitude seems vindictive really, i cared very much and was a good nurse. bht i also had a duty to my own health and my unborn child

Yes there are bad nurses but some of you who judge so quickly have no idea what a busy shift can be like. far harder than most office jobs.

i am very sorry some of you experienced bad care but don't use that to tar the whole profession or blame nurses wholly for the problem. the nhs comprises a multitude of staff - nurses, doctors, dieticians, social workers and managers. it is a complex and multi layered problem.

but then i have left nursing now and won't be going back. hearing this sort of simplistic, judgey argument will not tempt me back

I make my staff pots of tea to drink just out of sight on the days when I know no one is going to get a break. I certainly think it's unreasonable for them to go 13hrs on only water but get them to have it just out of sight in case there's any DM reader types around.

I wanted off my feet for five minutes, i was hungry. a sugary cup of tea boosted me more than glugging water standing could have

but now i am getting into pedantics. your arguments sound targeted and angry

It's demoralising not to have a break We look forward to our breaks and some of us work 13.5 hour shifts, so water simply wouldn't be enough

I know that expecting professionalism from NHS nurses is seen as judgey and wrong. Yes its hard work but it isn't HARDER work to do it in a clean uniform with kept hair and a smile and professional attitude and water instead of hot cuppas if drinking must happen on the floor.

Thinking that that nurses should drink water in the kitchen in the time they would make a cup of tea to drink at the nurses station = staying they shouldn't eat or drink and should work dehydrated

Thinking that nurses should be arsed to turn up in clean, tidy, neat uniform and hair and shows = not allowed cause its hard work once you're there

yes I know I know

It is about the image of nursing as well. people love a fall from grace story. it can be a projection of their own inadequacies.

what better fall from grace than a lazy and nasty nurse

okay now saying that you should drink out of sight of patients or if you must drink on the floor drink water = saying I agree with nurses not having breaks or time for food and I think they should live on water alone.

see what I mean, the culture in nursing STINKS!

Reduce you have absolutly no idea of what you are talking about Trust me, no idea whatsoever.

anyone who suggests that we could do better at ground level gets shot down in flames

Too true boglach

I think the public are being unreasonable if they have an issue with a nurse sitting at the nurse's station filling in paperwork with a cup of tea.

Complete non-issue imo. Does not indicate how professional that nurse is and should not affect how they are perceived.

To suggest anything else is petty imo, especially when there are bigger fish to fry in regard to low staff morale and understaffing.
But it is a sad fact that it is often nonsense like this that management get their knickers in a twist about rather than looking at the bigger problems facing their ward.

So the majority of nurses you have encountered have been untidy, unfriendly and lazy?

really?

Fucking hell RRR, I'm so glad I don't work in the same NHS as you, your's sounds like shit.

To all those mentioning the 12+ hour shifts, in my experience staff who do this choose 'long days' as it gives them more days off/time to do paid overtime/catch more enhancements...

In the most recent acute trust I worked in these shift patterns were actively discouraged as the Board could see that it impacted negatively on patient care.

yours, sorry.

no necessarily, but it is OKAY to consistantly turn up unkept if you work for the NHS. And I don't think it should be. You can act in an unprofessional manner in the NHS with no consequences in a way you couldn't in most other jobs. And no the unprofessionalism is not necessary in order to work hard or to care. But acting professionally around distressed people shows more compassion then a slack attitude!

I pride myself on being tidy, friendly and hardworking, but the only way I ever get to eat or drink is whilst doing my computer work for 10 mins or so. We're supposed to have structured breaks, but more often than not, don't. If a relative has an issue with me eating/drinking at the desk they can take a run and jump Do they honestly want a hungry, thirsty and tired member of staff caring for their loved one? If they do, then they're just as bad as the nasty nurses they're so ready to criticise.

The culture in the tabloids stinks

and i can't believe cameron is harping on about nursing when the bankers who corrupted the whole infrastructure of our country with their greed, are still sunning themselves with mega pensions

I have not had time to read through all of this thread but as a nurse myself I have issues with the PM and his unrealistic ideas.

are there any nurses here that have to do intentional rounding forms? Which is exactly what he is asking so his idea is already implemented where I work and that form is one of 8 forms I have to fill in for each of my 16 patients I have to look after each night as well as being incharge of the whole ward of 30 patients! And I haven't included Fluid charts, obs charts and progress notes. So not only is this already implemented but it's already failing idea because I cannot remember the last time I had a chance to fill in an intentional rounding form and then I get bollocked from my manager for not doing the form despite the fact I haven't turned people when they ought to have been and everyone's drugs are late and the lady from a&e who arrived an hour ago hasn't even been seen to say hello to yet and a lady buzzing who desperately needs the loo , a man voniting into a bowl alone because I'm looking after someone who is acutely unwell and could die if I go else where as I'm giving emergency care to prevent an arrest and this is isn't an uncommon situation on an acute ward. There are 4 (2 of which are untrained) of us to deal with this and this is max staffing levels we are allowed on a night shift.

We need less managers and better staff ratios. Bad care happens and it is unacceptable, but I believe the majority want the best but it's impossible to deliver excellent care to every patient it thoroughly depresses me and I left Tuesday morning from my 12 hour shift 2 1/2 hours late in floods of tears because I know I had to limit my care and this isn't rare. I Lear in despair often and to be honest I'm inches away from leaving the profession.

What David Cameron said today angered me we need help get rid of managers who create forms and targets and replace with floor staff.

I'm truly sorry for those on here that have been on the receiving end of nurses chatting at a nurses when you or your loved one have needs to be met. This is unacceptable.

SB I've worked in a few different trust, my current one is one of the better ones. But I can see the same problem institutionalised culture I see in the trusts I've worked in comming through some MN nurse's posts. Maybe they work for the trusts I work in too?

So in what professions does this ideal culture exist then?

RRR, my NHS trust has a uniform policy, don't they all?

We should drink out of sight because to drink is unprofessional and it would spoil the belief that we run on Duracell.

yes. and if everyone in your trust washes and keeps their uniform exactly as per policy and keeps their hair and shoes neat and clean then that is fantastic! , no really!

But I've seen enough who don't and traipse in day after day via hedge backwards with no consequences