AIB to ask why people expect/feel entitled to 'first class' treatment by the NHS?

[depressedhealthprofessional]

I ask because, having worked frontline in the NHS for nearly 20 years it feels like peoples expectations are becoming more and more unrealistic and out of step with the reality of what can atuially be achieved within the resources available (limited and shrinking in real terms each week)

I can honestly, hand on heart say that I have yet to meet any health professional who has 'survived' more than a few years in direct patient care who does not give more than 100% each and every day. yet all I hear is people grumbling and complaining that the NHS did not get this or that 100% right. I am not saying that we get it right absolutely all the time but for gods sake, if I have to hear about someone moaning about the quality of the mashed potato on the ward , the fact that the home help (provided by the NHS/social services) is refusing to wash the net curtains, or that it took (gasp) more than one investigation to find out what was wrong with them (they don't know what they are on about'/they are incompetent/ they are wasting my time') I am going to scream. It isi just so soul destroying that the nhs saves and improves the lives of countless millions each and every day yet all we get (in the main) is negative pres and individuals having no idea of what we are up against and just how damn hard we work.

I bloody challenge them to get on and step into our shoes!!

Rant over!!

She had cancer
She was 12
She was neutropeanic
They gave us food That had gone cold and told us we could warm it over. Do you think it would be a good idea to serve warmed over food to an immunosuppressed person?
If she was having treatment, asleep or in theatre at meal times she would miss out altogether.

Three different hospitals, one of them brand new, couldnt serve up a decent meal.
For children on chemotherapy it has to be more than edible, it has to be tempting.

She became anorexic

It took an ex patient to raise funds for a sodding vending machine before food was available 24 hours a day for children and teenagers with cancer ffs.

I would much rather be treated by a vet than any kind of doctor or nurse.

Nurse do not cook or serve food.
But who are patients and parents supposed to talk to about it?
Can you not see how that makes us feel? Don't bother the nurses with these problems.
Who then? When you can't get off the ward? The head of catering is hardly likely to do the rounds are they?

ohdoadmit I am truly sorry to hear that (truly) . I hope more than anything she is ok now.

If that were my child i would be beyond angry and all I can say is if she had been my patient I would have moved heaven and earth to get her some decent food.

Some of us do care. I have ben out to the shops to purchase patients food if it was all they fancied and I've alo faced a disciplinary hearing for demanding that a patient be given two puddings (they are only 'allowed' one but that was all they could manage).

I wish the ystem was better and easier for all of us.

I think in answer to your question, OP, people expect decent treatment because it's a matter of human life or death. And our lives matter to us.

In most factories, if you make mistakes and fuck up production, profits will be adversely affected. In the NHS, people die, or are left with much worse health problems.

That's why it matters.

OP I'm so with you, as a nurse i hear every how rubbish the NHS is, yet as a recent patient I could not fault the care I received!

The truth is yes, the nurses are your first (and maybe last)port of call but we really have bugger all power. Mostly catering is contracted out, we have no contact with or control over what comes in and no way of rectifying problems, especially if its prepared off site or is 'cook chill' type food.

I always give patients the complaints leaflet now if they come to me with this type of issue a that really is the only way anything will change.

Wet, so should GP's not have the option of working part time then? Thats going to leave a lot of working Mum's who are GP's out of jobs .

No problem with any GP working part time but I do expect at the very least for the surgery to be manned by a GP on each of the 5 working days in a week. It's not. People get ill on Fridays strangely. If they can't get a GP appointment they go to A&E and we all get a bollocking about how this is putting additional strain on that service.

And if your dermatologist completes his contractual hours over four days why shouldn't he do private practice on a monday....it makes sense to me.

Again - no problem with him doing private pratice - as long as the dermatological service is available 5 days a week. Why on earth are we allowing waiting lists for services such as this to grow because we can't get an NHS Consultant to park his ass in an NHS surgery during the whole working week? Especially when the MHS probably trained him. Result - increase in private pateinets to feed the self-perpetuating ludicrousness of the current system.

every DAY

I think you need to speak to the Matron about these issues if you can get her out of the management meeting.

I once worked with a Matron and I honestly couldn't understand a damn word she was saying. All she spoke was 'management speak' and I wasn't up on her jargon Nothing like the Matrons I trained under I can tell you. She wore a suit as well

I actually like NHS food - when it's available. Mind you, anything not cooked by me tastes pretty good to me

'Some of us do care. I have ben out to the shops to purchase patients food if it was all they fancied and I've alo faced a disciplinary hearing for demanding that a patient be given two puddings (they are only 'allowed' one but that was all they could manage).'

Blimey, I'm glad I don't work in the NHS if this is how ridiculous things have become

Wet, can I sugget that bif your surgery is left with no GP on one day of the week then vote with your feet and register elsewhere. You have that right.

Totally agree with MrsDeVere's comments - why do nurses consider themselves 'too superior' to discuss food and nutrition concerns with patients? To be honest I don't see why you can't have a decent restaurant chain in a hospital - not quite McD's but something that served fresh salads and appetising meals surely can't be that hard? And who is meant to help ill/disabled/elderly patients to eat? My elderly friend's wife was in hospital and he had to go in to feed her himself three times a day - these were people in their 80s.

And no, to the comment above, I wouldn't mind at all contributing to the cost of (decent) meals - as it was my DH bought food in for me as I couldn't bear to eat what was available. And having to get to the kitchen yourself after an EMCS (and not leave your baby alone) to get breakfast the next morning is not at all easy .

Hidden yes thats how ludicrous it has in fact become. In fact I went to see a patient yesterday whose ward Nurse had been out and bought him fish and chips and a cake as he couldnt face the ward food!!

Depressed, Everybodys job take a toll on their health but do you know what you can change jobs but i bet you were prescribed painkillers and medication for all that and i bet you were treated a lot better than most of us because you work for the NHS

None of us can change the NHS because we have to pay for it but if we were given the choice to change i bet we would

congrats on being 38 but since i wont make it to that age i find it hard to be sympathetic so change your job if your that unhappy

DD had heart surgery at the Evelina.... we could go across to any of the concessions in the lobby and get food, 24/7 - sometimes it may have just been a M&S sandwich but I really did notice the difference with local hospitals.

When I was in hospital 20 years ago for 6 weeks we used to get the local takeaway to deliver to the ward!

I probably will Depressed. It's just finding the time to go and register elsewhere. I'm always asking friends and colleagues what their GP is like with a view to moving surgeries.

I get very pissed off when the first thing my GP asks me is 'Do you have private health care?' NO - That's why I'm seeing you you twunt

Next question is 'How much do you drink/ smoke etc' Next time I shall refuse to answer. That should balls up his bonus payments nicely.

Only then do we get to the 'Why have you come to see me today' question.

There are countless stories of how treatment improves if you mention that a relative is a consultant.

I'm interested to see how people will be feeling when they are paying for this shit service???

We are paying for this shit service Belle. Have you not heard of NI?

Thanks savlon, as one human being to another its good to treat each other as human beings no matter what we do (even if we are evil NHS staff .

Yes I am aware that I can change jobs but as a nurse most jobs do involve phyical exertion which is the problem. I like most female NHS staff have a family to support, I need to earn a wage to survive . had i known 20 years ago jut how unrelenting and demanding the job was yes i would probably have made a different choice. However hindsight is a wonderful thing.

And in response to your kind concern, yes i have painrelief when i need it (mostly I rely on OTC) and no I have not recieved any preferential treatment that I am aware of.

I really am orry for whatever predicament you are in but blaming every single person working in the NHS is not the answer you are looking for I am afraid.

Like others I have seen truly awful NHS wards, and wonderful ones. I do agree some people are unrealistic as to what medicine can achieve - not everyone's life can be saved, some tests cannot be done in hours etc. I agree with platypus and others that a vet practice often upholds higher standards, clinically but in particular in terms of customer service which at the majority of vets is excellent - otherwise clients go elsewhere - a choice NHS patients do not have.

I live overseas in a very poor country. The standard of medical care I have had far exceeds the NHS sadly. When I dislocated my knee I saw a GP, was referred to a specialist in a different hospital - had x rays - saw the specialist again to go over x rays and treatment plan. How long did it take. Two hours in total. It cost about £30. How long would this have taken in the UK? Two days/weeks/months????????

Wet, I have necer ever been asked as an opener if i drink or smoke a an opening question, although it is relevant to so many health issues they do need to ask (priodically at least).

And never have Ii been asked if i have private health cover, although if you are going to be referred on it is worth the GP asking as so many people do and it does allow for quicker referral.