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?

'Although I wonder if perhaps when a profession is undervalued in society it transfers a lack of pride in the role and appearance of some of it's members?'

Sadly, very true. Add to that, the stress of working in a thankless job, pressurised environment with not terribly good pay and you're not going to be feeling very good about yourself.

I still feel this is a minor issue compared to the chronic understaffing on the wards. Also the lack of respect shown to nurses and nursing in general.

wards should be adequately staffed
AND
service users and visitors should be respectful

AND
unprofessional staff should be disciplined and if no improvement, fired

I don't see why the third one is a non issue just because the first 2 are issues too
Yes if they were to be put into order of importance staffing is no1, but how does that excuse unprofessional slackers?

RoyalWelsh - 'somebody told me the other day that they tax pensions and savings too - which blew my mind.'

I'm sorry but what planet are you on? Interest on savings has always been taxed, unless you are a non-taxpayer.

Pension funds were untaxed, until 1997 when Gordon Brown changed the rules.

Neither of those things can be laid at the current government's door.

Slighly. Thats posh for being sly.

I agree hidden home, but it is something you can have some control over! Most importantly, your presentation is something you can CHANGE and improve

when moral was particularly low where I work I got a new brightly coloured work bag. ( I'll really be flamed now! who's first to say I should be thinking about patient care and can't do both?)
I talked myself into being cheerful going in in the morning. Because I do not think I could have given good care if I dragged myself in looking how I felt. Fake it till you make it! And it did help me to get back into enjoying being there a small amount more.
I wasn't going to go down that slippery slope!
There is a choice.

RRR your third point is entirely valid.

But unbrushed hair and drinking a cup of tea does not an unprofessional slacker make!

Im not blaming this government for that, I know that it came about before they came in, but I still think it's rather rubbish, don't you? And as I mentioned before, I consider myself rather uneducated in these areas and have only recently, since finishing uni this year, started being interested and slowly trying to educate myself. Things like these that people like you have obviously known from the year dot are issues that I'm only just coming across. I have happily lived in my own study/work bubble up until now and never realised just how much everyone is taken from, at every level. And yes, quite frankly, it does blow my mind.

I am glad you have seen the light Royal.

YABVU

I had the deeply upsetting experience of a friend attempting suicide, and effectively spent a week in an NHS hospital with him. It was degrading, frankly, and I have no clue how anyone gets better in those places.

The thing that astounded me was the lack of personal care. His medical needs were attended to (more or less) but the personal care simply did not exist. He was dirty, sweaty, shaky and unfed throughout his time there. The nurses did not make sure that his basic care needs were met. He was completely incapable of doing anything for himself. I washed him, shaved him, brought him fresh clothes and washed the dirty ones. I brought him food three times a day. If I had not, none of those things would have been attended to.

And you might say that nurses are so jolly busy and all that. But nevertheless, I became used to that hospital. Used to seeing incredible, gobsmacking inefficiencies. I saw nurses incapable of doing anything without a 4-person conference first. I saw nurses clustered around the nursing station, gossiping constantly, unmanaged and unsupervised, whilst patients were dirty and hungry. These were not one-off occurrences. This was normal.

He had a pump attached to him, pumping in stuff. There was an airlock and the alarm was sounding on the pump. I held him while he was crying, and he said I just can't sleep with the alarm going off. It's been going off all day. After an hour or so of waiting, I went to the nursing station and waited patiently for the conversation about Eastenders to stop. Eventually, they deigned to acknowledge me. I explained there was an alarm going off. They said "Oh it's just something in the building". I said "No, it's his pump that has an airlock". "Oh" they said.

My experience is that nurses simply should not be left in charge of wards unsupervised. They need to be pushed to make sure that patients are properly cared for. It's all very well only taking care of medical needs. Patients need their personal needs attending to when they are ill and vulnerable.

so where do you draw the line?
standards are not great, a lot of people's experience of the NHS is poor. Some of that is completely avoidable and is due to simple things like the way they are spoken to.

I'm hopping between private sector and the NHS at the moment and I feel that a lot of the things that make a big difference do not need full staffing are extra funding. These things are highlighted to me now because of the flitting. Just old fashioned customer service is lacking in the NHS and it really matters: smiling, speaking pleasantly, looking attentive. I feel I'm being accused of being ridiculously superficial but I honestly think that that stuff REALLY MATTERS when you're putting your life or your loved one in other people's care and you WANT to trust them!

Today I worked in a revolving door type department (you can probably guess where) and twice I saw patients being wheeled out to their ward past the nurses station and the patients said "bye thanks for everything" and noone but me lifted their heads to reply.
That stuff matters when you're scared and ill and have just been admitted to hospital and wouldn't have held up anyones work to do it!

I agree it is entirely rubbish, certainly the pension part.

I think that tax ought to be paid on interest earned on savings though, it is income after all.

If you start drumming in the "what do you think the patient/relative felt about that" message with the "smaller" things like uniform appearance and the hot drinks, then maybe by the time you get along the line to consent before injections, tone of voice, dignity etc the message may have sunk in!

'Bad service, with a smile'

RRR - I agree with everything you are saying. I think it is really important that all medical staff make an effort to look presentable and be pleasant, it helps patients to feel reassured.

(bangs head against wall)

no! the options are not only:
smiles and professionalism and bad lazy care
or
can't be arsed look but good care

why can we not expect good care AND professionalism, WHY WHY WHY?

Lack of professionalism is endemic in the NHS, IME. It's pervasive. There needs to be a change in culture.

I don't lack professionalism. But I am the first to admit at busy times I cannot give the care that I want to give.
Women sometimes get the basic medical care they need, but nothing else. They can be left alone when they don' want to be. Its awful for them. Its awful for me. Some women leave and I know they've had less than optimal care. It makes me feel like shit.
But if my uniforms clean and I smile at them, then maybe they won't get PTSD?

if they get crap care and the staff look half arsed about being there its a kick when they're down. Yes it can tip it over the edge! I worked in one unit where we did a clinic a few months later and interviewed patients about their experiences. You know it wasn't necessarily the life threatening medical events that haunt them so much as the little things that were lacking. The interviews (anonomous) were left in the staff room. It was really really good to read it (especially as I was just starting out in nursing then and it left an impression).

On a personal note I was less traumatised by almost dying than I was by some can't be arsed ward staff (not directly related to the almost dying). If you're already down and then someone rocks up stinking of last nights session then it can be the straw that breaks the camel's back

I'm not saying professionalism isn't important. But you're making it sound like its the be all and end all. Of course its important that we behave and appear professional- like I say- I think we all do where I work which is why I don't think its a big issue.
If you get really crap care, I don't think the 'professional appearance' of the staff will improve the experience.

but if you're too busy to get to everyone when they need you but can make them feel that you genuinely want to help and will as soon as you can, that can make it not quite so traumatic as the same care on paper from someone who strops in looking half baked and doesn't smile

I disagree. In one place I worked I used to be called to deal with the "difficult" relatives who were complaining about poor care (or their perception thereof). I was considered "good" with them, because I spent as much time listening as some others did reeling off excuses and they would leave me feeling a bit better about the care (because someone cared about the lack) then they did before.

I took them seriously, I looked like I took them seriously, I looked like I took my job seriously. It is all very important.

I do completely agree with you about the attitudes by the way, buts its lack of time to do the basic cares. Not because you're not nice when you do it.

You're patronising me again Reduce. I have done this job a long time. I know all of this.
My issue is your over emphasis on appearances and professionalism and that will make every thing all lovely, improve care, stop complaints?

I'm not even sure where you're going. Just saying how great you are and how we've got it all terribly wrong.

no I mean being nice when you CAN'T do it and really getting across (in a few seconds while you pass) that you have heard them, that their need is important to you, and that you GENUINELY will get back to it

still crap that you couldn't do it, especially if it's something like bringing a comode to someone with D+V who then doesn't make it (sad) because you're in the middle of bringing comodes to the rest of the closed bay and they are also about to go. But I DO think it is a bit less traumatic for that to happen if you feel that you do matter to the staff even if they didn't get to you on time, than if it happens and you have the perception that the staff don't really take what they do seriously

Just basic basic customer service like saying "i'm sorry". not excuses about how busy you are with other patients or how many others you have to look after, I think does make crap care easier to cope with.

And if you STARTED the day by comming in looking fresh and enthusiastic and smiling and saying goodmorning everyone before sticking your head in the drugs trolley, then when you later can't do something you should then maybe the neglected patient won't feel like they've been treated as insignificant all day IYKWIM

it does improve care or at least perception of and trust in your care, it doesn't make being in hospital lovely but it lessens the blow, it does reduce compaints.

Its the tip of the iceberg of the culture in nursing which has gone wrong somewhere