Hospital Wards Should be Quiet at Night?

[GemmaWella81]

Third night into a stay at hospital and I feel like killing people. There's no urgency or care given to keeping the noise down, whether it's nurses talking amongst themselves, machines buzzing, or patients having zero concept of anyone but themselves.

I think there should be a reasonable expectation placed on staff to quash as much noise as possible, within reason as I appreciate a hospital is a working environment. By 4am and no more than 10 min unbroken sleep last night I was thermonuclear with rage, and to pass time began measured the average volume and it was around 55 Db peaking at 68! How is that good for patient health and recovery?

I swear id'd be out of here and recovering quicker if I was able to get some proper shut eye. I've had no choice to listen in on a patient arguing with a nurse about getting iv pain relief vs pill form a minute ago. Nurse was saying preference was a pill as it's cheaper but the patient was begging for iv. In the ensuing back and forth myself and people in beds near me were either woken up or were clearly getting agitated by it. There'll be a consequence now as most of us are in need of pain relief (surgical ward) at some point and that can momentarily knock you out...so when three people now ask for pain relief is it really cost effective then just giving the original patient iv pain relief in the first place?

It's been my first stay in hospital for a long time but I think I remember the ward nurses shussing the hell out of anyone talking or making undue noise. Now it just seems like a free for all and fuck everyone else's comfort.

I had 3 weeks on a labour ward at Chelsea and Westminster when I had DD. 24/7 carnage. I was annoyed by the noise but understood it of course. What drove me mad were the kids at visiting time - they were allowed to run wild. One pair kept bursting into my cubicle and their parents just laughed!

Also I noticed a peculiar thing - being a central London hospital, there was a huge variety in the nationalities of women giving birth. Turns out English women tend to swear a lot, and as a rather sweary fucker myself (better trim that down for when dd starts talking!!!), I don't mind that. But women from other parts of Europe seem to moan rather than swear in any language. It was like being in a really bad porno some nights!! The worst was one lady who was having the induction gel in the cubicle next door to me. After about 10 mins of aaaaaaaahhhhhh, oooooooooooooooh, ahahahahahah ooooooh ahhhhh, she said breathily, "thank you!"

I've never felt so uncomfortable in so many ways!

Yanbu when I was a kid one nurse in each ward, silence, doors. Silence everywhere.

Last time 2006 I knew all the night nurses tea preferences, which magazines they were reading, and some kids names. The old guy opposite (stroke/circulation ward) was calling for the nurse but even though we could hear them clear as a bell, they couldn't hear someone shouting 'NURSE' I ended up getting out of bed and going to tell them. He ended up trying to go to the toilet by himself and they told him off for going alone. It was a nightmare. I didn't get one good nights sleep and I was in for two weeks!

I'm so glad that I don't have to do nights in a ward anymore. Never again.

I was in a week after having DD and I could have stabbed the stupid fucking bitch next to me who would facetime another mum friend at 3am.

At least you have more freedom?

Straight after my op (lumpectomy) I went down in the lift to the Costa on the ground floor and milled with the public. So lovely to feel 'normal'. I could wander about at my leisure. Hell of a job getting back on the ward (I considered calling the hospital on my mobile to get put through to the ward to come and open the door) but it was worth it. Gave me a breather when I needed it.

So, pros and cons with the casual approach. I can't imagine I would have been able to do that in the days of matron in starched uniform ruling with a rod of iron. Though, on balance, I'd rather have stayed in an environment where I felt safe.

Miaow, I would consider making a complaint about your stay through PALS. It sounds like being in a war zone

I was in a couple of months ago in a room of my own , it was quiet but after a week I actually felt like I was going mad. It was SO quiet there was no human contact (just once every 4 hours for obs) . I couldn't have visitors because the ward was closed because of norovirus. It really felt like I was in prison.

I was moved to a ward where there were people! And I almost cried with relief!

I was barrier nursed for febrile neutropenia in a single room and was so bored. My favourite person was the lady with the tea. It was nice having my own bathroom and being quiet at night but also very lonely.

I have also been on a ward with a dementia patient who spent the night looking for her dog and asking why there was a little girl in the bed next to her (me aged 39). She had no idea she was in hospital but was too high risk to put in a side room.

omg how are you coping. when I had to stay in the maternity ward over night, my mw made sure it was almost dark (needed some light to feed the babies also for your checkups during the night), she made sure we was all quiet even when women coming in after delivering was made to be quiet. I'm sorry you're going through this.

My silly - I was barrier nursed too for flu! I felt like a right freak with no one coming in without being covered up and had two drips one in each hand so I felt like I was tied to the bed!

Just reading this thread makes me feel stressed. Three DC dreadful stays in hospital ( and 3 different ones) each time. Nobody bothered to even check whether you needed any food after hours in labour let alone any sleep. The first time around I was very poorly after giving birth, one nurse was so rude to me I spent the first morning with my new baby in floods of tears and wasn't able to get out of bed to reach my baby. I discharged myself. So awful I'd be terrified if I needed to spend any time in hospital. There might be good parts of the NHS but haven't seen it - it's as much to do with attitude as funding. i detest this 'be grateful'.....

YANBU

Oh God yes, totally my experience too. People chatting on their mobiles is especially awful at 2am with no one stopping them too. And one time we were so packed in on the ward my bed and that of my neighbour were about 2ft apart albeit separated by a curtain. She fell out of bed at about 4am and came crashing through on to me I woke up terrified.

Pineapple in the new Royal Liverpool hospital all rooms with be private. I am very thankful, there will be day rooms if patients are well enough for company.

I have private health insurance through work. I will be using it if I need to to avoid these horrors (private room/own bathroom). Also my privacy is very important to me and I couldn't stand being in this situation.

That worries me andnow. All private rooms are dangerous for patient health and safety as others have said. It may great for sleep but it means those that need to be visible wont be and if something happens to someone staff wont know until its too late.

Plus you couldnt have an all private room hospital its not possible e.g. The tracheostomy patients on our ward need to be visible because they have no voice so cant be heard. We cannot care for them in a side room so they wouldnt be able to have private rooms.

The new Royal Liverpool University Hospital is expected to be the largest all single-patient room hospital in the UK on completion in 2017.[5][6][7] The New Royal is expected to open on 24 July 2017.[8]

Would they have a beeper system for trach patients maybe?

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/health/new-429m-royal-liverpool-hospital-5391834

Not really they all ready have the call bells. They need to be visible in case their airway seals over or the tube blows out causing a massive bleed. They are also at risk of their ng feed going into thwir lungs if it gets dislodged. They are extremely high risk patients that need 24 hour observations

Ill assume that particular hospital just wont be able to cater to those having those procedures it would be highly dangerous

'The tracheostomy patients on our ward need to be visible because they have no voice so cant be heard. We cannot care for them in a side room so they wouldnt be able to have private rooms.'

Then how are they cared for in countries where they don't use wards?

I dont know i can only tell you our hospitals policy and the risks to the patients i am use to caring for

There must be some way, though, as there are already hospitals being built that have all private rooms here in the UK. Wards are so outdated.

There are at least some very vulnerable trache patients in single rooms in our hospital - do you mean immediately post procedure? I assume the recovery areas would not be private rooms. ICU seems 1:1 anyway.