Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that there should be some sort of stimulation on a hospital ward

39 replies

offtoseethewizard64 · 30/09/2014 21:59

Dd is in hospital and due to her complex needs, I have been with her most of the time. There are no tvs or radios here (pay for view or otherwise). There is no 'day room' and many of the patients are bed bound, most are retirement age (but not all) and some have been here for over 2 weeks.
Aibu to think that some sort of stimulation and keeping in touch with the outside world via news channels would aid recovery. It is a long day to be sitting staring at nothing.

OP posts:
Fabulous46 · 30/09/2014 22:08

I was in hospital 6 weeks ago and had Sky tv in my room. That was an NHS hospital that's only been open 3 years though. They also gave you a free WIFI code. There wasn't a day room but I was happy enough with peace to flick the channels and browse the internet.

kaffkooks · 30/09/2014 22:08

YANBU however, the only hospital wards with this kind of stimulation are childrens' wards or cancer hospitals as they are able to fundraise to get cool stuff. Unfortunately, general hospital wards are not high profile enough to get this kind of support and their meagre budget won't stretch to it. Donate some money to the ward fund when your DD is discharged and say it's for buying a radio.

ashtrayheart · 30/09/2014 22:09

Could you take her in a portable DVD player?

jellybelly701 · 30/09/2014 22:09

I agree, I actually begged the nurses to let me go home when I was in with HG. I was there for three days and unless I paid to watch the TV again there was nothing at all to do. I spent all day just laying there doing nothing and spent all night struggling to sleep due to the constant noise and disruption. I felt much better at home with a few movies and a quiet room.

Mrsstarlord · 30/09/2014 22:12

Doing things absolutely aids recovery but sadly hospital managers and commissioners only seem capable of thinking in terms of a medical model so don't employ people who are able to support this. Same as successful discharge planning, rather than thinking about the person, their life and the things they need to do hospital teams are only interested in the absence of symptoms.

Sorry, had a glass of wine and fell v strongly about this - YADNBU

GaryTheTankEngine · 30/09/2014 22:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
offtoseethewizard64 · 30/09/2014 22:22

ashtray I wasn't thinking about my Dd, she has been too poorly to be entertained but I sit here looking at the other patients who are bored senseless. When my DM was in hospital (different one) they had those tvs you had to pay for above each bed but the radio on them was free. We've been on this ward before and were opposite a lovely 84yo lady who was fully compus mentis who just sat in a chair all day and kept telling me how bored she was.

OP posts:
Calaveras · 30/09/2014 22:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

feckitall · 30/09/2014 22:49

We noticed it when DGM was in hospital. My DD then aged 15 who is a bit of a clown decided they needed cheering up....she did ventriloquism with a water jug...pretended to go up and downstairs at the end of beds, told jokes and generally mucked around!! The old ladies in the bay were in giggles!! Doctors and nurses at the nurses station came into find out what was going on!!
She is now 22 and working in a care home organising activities for dementia sufferers.

Latara · 30/09/2014 23:52

It is boring for the patients, we set up the free radios for them and they often enjoy listening to Hospital Bedside Radio which does requests; unfortunately the TV is really expensive.

Scotinoz · 30/09/2014 23:57

Part of the problem for this is funding. The NHS doesn't have a blank cheque! It's all want want want from the public, but nobody is willing to give anything. If ludicrous prescriptions for sunscreen, paracetamol and nappies were done away with, or a charge was imposed to see a GP, there'd be funds for other things.

giraffescantboogie · 30/09/2014 23:58

I think TVs in wards were more common before the digital switchover - that made loads of them useless :(

giraffescantboogie · 01/10/2014 00:00

If I have a pile of old magazines and I am up at my respiratory clinic then i will pop in to one of the wards and hand them in and say just to give them to anyone who is bored/put them in day room etc.

steff13 · 01/10/2014 00:08

I've never seen a hospital room without a tv in it. Weird. That is sad, people having to be there with no entertainment.

How old is your daughter? Does she like to read? Or, could you take an iPod or tablet for her to watch videos or play games on?

needacosmo · 01/10/2014 07:47

You can't really pass around books and magazines, games etc because of infection control but activities and TV if funding was better would help

Ifyourawizardwhydouwearglasses · 01/10/2014 07:56

I think most do have tvs.
I spent a week in hospital recently, I took my book, bought a puzzle book and if I could have been bothered I would have caught up on some knitting.
I paid for about 2 days of TV but there was no guide so I never knew what was on and I couldn't really be bothered with it.

Oh, and I completed candy crush! :D

Floggingmolly · 01/10/2014 08:01

Why not read a book? Confused I'd love a couple of hours with nothing to do but lose myself in a book...

aprilanne · 01/10/2014 08:04

our local hospital forth valley has a tiny tv at everybed .and you can ask for wifi code .mental health wards have a tv room .

ProfYaffle · 01/10/2014 08:19

Kaffkooks has a good point about fundraising. dh has a brain tumour, when he was on the neurology wards they had those patient line TVs but that was it. There was a chap opposite him who didn't even have that, he was a long term patient and I guess it gets expensive after a while, but he literally sat in his chair all day.

Post op, dh is monitored by oncology and the difference in facilities is striking. Lots of groups, activities, therapies etc on offer, a lot seem to be via MacMillan. Even the oncology waiting room has far better facilities.

claraschu · 01/10/2014 08:31

Flogging- if you are feeling really ill, reading can be more than you can handle.

Feckitall: your daughter sounds amazing, and how wonderful that she went on to use her talent for entertaining people-

Bonsoir · 01/10/2014 08:36

My mother was in hospital for a week very recently. The absolutely last thing she wanted or needed was the television (there was one on her single room) or radio.

HappyAgainOneDay · 01/10/2014 08:37

aprilanne That's a good idea. Perhaps hospitals could install televisions like those screens we have on aeroplanes, where you can choose channels and have a guide as to what's on that week. With earphones, they will not interfere with other patients and you can watch what you want.

If an airline owner is reading this, what about starting a sponsorship roll?

The current televisions/radios on those huge swingover contraptions are just too big if you are weak and cost far too much. If people don't pay and use them, no money will be made. I know it's some outside body that runs them but I wonder if they are a drain on the NHS in any way?

MammaTJ · 01/10/2014 08:48

The hospital local to me has the patient line TVs. They are expensive though. Most people connect their phones or tablets to the wi-fi too.

Aridane · 01/10/2014 08:56

Oh gosh - when I was in hospital for 6 weeks, was in too much pain to want or cope with stimulation.

That said, a trolley came round with free books and magazines, and there were though expensive individual TV / wifi / telephone things by each bed. But was crap when the weller patients failed to use the headphones and ignored nurses' requests to use headphones.

hawaiibaby · 01/10/2014 08:58

Agreed! In hospital at the moment after unexpected and urgent surgery yesterday. No tv here, not even one I could pay for! I really needed to take my mind off what was going on and the wait for my op while dh went to get my things, it was horrible. Luckily he brought back books and my phone charger which were much appreciated when I couldn't sleep much last night.

I really want to donate books here now, will enquire how to before I leave but the tv thing would be good for the majority, especially if not well enough to read.

Shock at the poster who'd just love having time to sit and read. Believe me I would so much rather be at home, busy as hell with my family than in my current situation. How insensitive are you.

Op I hope your daughter is better soon.

Swipe left for the next trending thread