To be annoyed with district nurse

[littlebillie]

My mother is 74 and not in the best if health and three weeks ago had a spontaneous break out of ulcers. she has been awaiting assessment for treatment by a specialist however the district nurses have been dressing it. I had to go to her house tonight to pull off three weeks of dressings which the hadn't bothered to remove. They sent her home today in agony and she could hardly walk. Her foot looks like raw meat. The nurses have promised to go tonight but then rang her and said she would have to wait until tomorrow. I have cleaned it and dressed it and at least now she can sleep. I am so angry about the way she has been treated.

I dont understand your post. Where was she sent home from and what do you mean by her having 3 weeks of dressings?

Emilizz three weeks of dressings still on her leg after two hours of soaking and still not all off

She is dealt with by an out patients unit

Had the same dressings been left on for 3weeks or were new dressings being applied over old ones for three weeks ?

What was she doing in outpatients today if they didnt change her dressings?

That's disgusting, you need to be totally well and strong in order to get some people to do their jobs. Poor woman

Just put new on old. I spoke twice to the nurse who "dressed" it. She also lied. I have taken pictures of before and after the dressings were removed. I was so shocked but just wanted to reassure my mum that everything will be okay. I am not so sure.

Emilizz they couldn't change it as the old had fused with skin. She told me they bathed it for 20 minutes, they squirted a bit of water on redressed it shrugged and sent her on her way.

I know she will be so grateful when they go tomorrow. She wouldn't dream go being angry with them.

This is one of the problems. Older people are often very grateful and don't complain when they are treated badly.

I would find out who is the person managing the District Nurse team and complain to them, providing your photos as evidence

New dressings on top of previous ones is completely unacceptable nursing practise. Its highly likely that the leg ulcers are severely infected by now.
I suggest you get her seen by her gp asap especially if the legs are swollen and offensive smelling.

Re: The nurses, I suggest you contact their manager and inform them and you should also make a complaint of alleged professional misconduct to the nursing & midwifery council enclosing details of the facts and photos.

that is AWFUL

if she has an open wound that is hugely hugely bad

taking photos was a good idea

your poor poor Mum

I know that this type of complaint will not go anywhere as the "book"will be passed. There doesn't seem to be much continuity of care.

It will be investigated thoroughly by the Nursing and Midwifery council and if your complaint is upheld, those responsible may either be censured , sent for retraining or have their registration removed.

Unfortunately in a lot of cases, poor standards of care exist because those affected are unwilling or unable to speak out!

Nurses have a duty of care to their patients and are accountable for it to the NMC, they do follow up complaints so please take this forward

Start your complaint at a more local level than the nmc and escalate. Get an nhs direct/gp appt over the weekend. Insist of a different nursing team.

Get that specialist review. Often ringing the chief exec or cons secretary and saying the problem helps.

Go to the appts with ur mum if possible.

I greyly don't get this? Three weeks of dressings on dressings?
I am the queen of dressings and I doubt I could get one to stick for even a couple of days, yes the inner dressings they dry and become hard to shift, but the outer dressings would just fall off the exudate would loosen them at the base and under the weight of 3 weeks of dressings they would fall off,
That said taking a chunk of flesh with them.
I am not saying it is impossible just improbable.
Are you sure if what her dressing should be? Ulcers if deep should have packing (like a bandage) gauze, then foam
Type substance, (granufexis one name) then something like tagaderm, then if you are trying to avoid infection so no opening the wound so if any weeping you apply gauze and more tagaderm (sort of cling filmy) we used to in my day continue to do this for upto 3 days to prevent infection entering.
But you can tell if infection has entered as the smell is overweaming ... Then you just soak, the dressings will come away easily

You didn't mention a smell so that is good.

Oh and missed the raw meat thing, this is also good, if you can see a lot of blood then there is no necrosis (death of tissue) so is a good chance of healing.

Good post missingmum
If you need to make a complaint then please just call their office and start the ball rolling. Don't just assume the complaint will go nowhere as people often say. It may be that they need to fully explain to your mum, with you there, what the management plan is for your mums ulcers. Good luck

Thanks for your advice, I just hope someone comes today.

No district nurses visited today. I spoke them at 1pm and they promised to visit her. NHS is broken I think.

Please phone your ooh service. That's just so sad.

as an ex district nurse I totally agree with missing

however if they say they will come they should. progress it op. hope your mom is ok?

Yes unfortunately NHS is well on way to becoming broken, will be missed when its gone. That sounds very odd about 3 weeks worth of dressings. Could you be there when district nurse visits tomorrow to ask about it/see how exactly they are applying them? If they really have been applying new over old dressings for 3 weeks and you are going to complain, don't forget that in order to acknowledge and deal with your complaint, they will need permission from your mum to do this.

I'm a District Nurse and don't understand your point. She was treated at an Outpatients by a District nurse?? I don't know of ANY nurse that would put dressings on top of dressings. If my team had a patient with a wet weeping leg ulcer we would be there that very day despite probably having another full days list of patients. Do you not have an out of hours number to contact them?? I work evenings too & if I took a call of this nature we would visit the same night. I would urge you to contact the team leader and complain.

Flossichops my friend is a district nurse where I live and she is horrified that no one has been. I rang her tonight and she has redressed it herself and it is looking better. She is in less pain now.