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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

To think this A and E situation is not OK?

154 replies

user1473282350 · 19/09/2016 13:40

Last Thursday evening I attended our local A and E. I was taken straight to majors and treatment started straight away. Because of what happened I was in a bed (sitting up) right by the nurses station.

A little latter the A and E ward sister spent 45 minutes organising a pizza delivery. Another 25 minutes ordering the pizza online. Then 30 minutes waiting outside the A and E department for pizza, than an hourish eating the damn thing in an A and E side room. It was well over two hours by the time she returned to the nurses station and actually fucking did some of her job (phone back an irate bed manager).

Some of this I could see (the side room was diagonally opposite to my bed). The bit when she was outside I couldn't see, but there were several phonecalls and other staff were having to lie / cover up and then explain that in fact she "wasn't in resus with a patient, she was outside waiting for the pizza".

Most of the staff shared the pizza in the side room, but none seemed to be in longer than 10 -15 minutes.

I'm pretty grumpy about it, because of the extra pressure it put on other staff who were working their socks off. Would it be unreasonable to add it to my feedback (which is overall mostly positive)?

OP posts:
Original poster
user1473282350 · 20/09/2016 14:15

workingMummy2305 I did not make a formal complaint. I added a comment onto the feedback form under the things I thought could be improved section...

OP posts:
LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 20/09/2016 14:17

I would have been more concerned that the doctor and nurse were all coming to you to bitch about it, that's not desperately professional either.

It's done now, you have probably unleashed a minor shitstorm, so you can sit back and relax now.

birdladyfromhomealone · 20/09/2016 14:18

Of course writing "wind you neck in" to me is not aggressive at all. :(
I would like to make the point to you OP that it is not just the nurses who would have appreciated the pizza being arranged by the sister but ALL the dept staff including receptionist, nurses, doctors and porters- that is called team work.
You asked on AIBU,
yes you are BU by not taking on board the majority of MN opinions,
Yes you are BU by being aggressive
yes are BU by giving negative feedback for something that is none of your business as a patient.

LadyConstanceDeCoverlet · 20/09/2016 14:18

OP you have way way way too much time on your hands. Maybe you need to get a hobby?

What a ridiculous thing to say. She had time on her hands because she was stuck in bed in A&E for hours.

LadyConstanceDeCoverlet · 20/09/2016 14:21

Livia, I think you may be one of those.

OP: OP: AIBU

Some posters: YABU

Other posters: YANBU

One of those: I'm going to post a snarky comment about how OP won't admit SIBU and conveniently ignore all those who say SINBU.

Original poster
user1473282350 · 20/09/2016 14:22

LiviaDrusillaAugusta They had to tell me what was happening as I have anaphylaxis to a pizza ingredient. They needed to check I was still OK and I said I felt awful for them as it had put them in a really awkward situation on all accounts.

birdladyfromhomealone The posts are now outweighed as you keep returning to have a go. At the time, most people agreed with me that it was not on.

Fair play if you think I am being unreasonable. I am aware that some people do, thankfully many others don't.

OP posts:
Sugarlightly · 20/09/2016 15:13

If she's pulling a double shift into a 8hr night shift, that's not allowed

ABloodyDifficultWoman · 20/09/2016 15:41

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Polarbearflavour · 20/09/2016 15:43

I used to be a nurse. My idea of a break would be sitting at a computer, inputting my care plans, doing referrals, discharges, admissions etc whilst eating a sandwich and having a cup of tea and I used to get sarcastic comments from patients and relatives about how busy I was all the time. Infuriating when it was the only chance in a 12.5 hour shift I got to sit down and eat something.

Occasionally on a night-shift we might have a take-away.

A lot of people (not saying the OP is one of them) do seem to think they know more than healthcare professionals do about their jobs. One complaint on my ward was that nurses stand around talking and ignoring patients. What they didn't seem to appreciate is not everybody wearing a uniform is a nurse or nursing auxiliary/healthcare assistant.

Phlebotomists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, dietitians, radiographers (any I've missed?) all wore different uniforms in my hospital but they aren't nurses and won't be answering the ward phone, getting bedpans and commodes, doing your medications etc. They also have to write up notes and talk to other staff members to communicate effectively and do their jobs.

user1473454752 · 21/09/2016 21:23

This reply has been deleted

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MNHQ
YetAnotherHelenMumsnet · 21/09/2016 22:34

Evening all,
We are receiving an unusual amount of reports about this thread, and have deleted the posts that we find goading, not in the spirit of the site and in some cases downright attacking. Peace and love, everyone, peace and love.

user1473454752 · 21/09/2016 23:09

Ok I agree I should not have said what I did mumsnet, however the bloomin staff in our Nhs work theyre balls off saving peoples lives 24 hours a day, we are so so so lucky we have the Nhs.

Pippa12 · 21/09/2016 23:16

Ohhh...pizza on a night shift...honestly...it's like the tea and toast after giving birth. If you are 101% positive with your timings, and would put your house on it that she was stood in the main entrance for 30 mins (not nipped to a ward to borrow something trivial and not everyone knew where she was or taking a private phone call in office etc) then complain away. If not, then I wouldn't have. It will cause a uproar for the staff in all respects, especially when takeaway is banned. A complaint was made about staff drinking in front of patients on a unit- drinks taken off staff and now it can be literally 2 drinks on a 14 hour shift (one on each break).

Most staff are hardworking, don't finish on time, don't eat/drink/go to the toilet for hours on end, but your partner is a medic, you'll know this. Doesn't mean there aren't bad apples tho, so if you are absolutely positive there is no other explanation I'd complain. If not I wouldn't risk putting her through the gut wrenching experience of being taken in the office and having to explain yourself. Even if she's innocent if she's a good nurse she will be truly devastated and it will affect her for months, if she's a bad apple it'll be water off a ducks back.

Sellingyesterdaysnews · 21/09/2016 23:28

Well it's all speculation really isn't it u less you were in there reading the Computer screen etc.
Some people really need to think about their priorities.

Sellingyesterdaysnews · 21/09/2016 23:29

And did u pop outside with her as well ?

Sellingyesterdaysnews · 21/09/2016 23:35

I think you are being very judgemental when you don't really know what was going on... However nosey you were being, you still can't have seen and heard everything.
Getting a pizza On a night shift is absolutely fine. A lot of people don't eat in the day when they are sleeping there isn't enough turnaround time.
It's just such an unpleasant theme for a post , seriously you should be ashamed.. Theses staff were helping you and you are spying on them having food ffs.

LBOCS2 · 21/09/2016 23:48

But the OP isn't complaining that they ordered a pizza or that they went and ate, or that they were talking about pizza. She's mentioning it because of the length of time taken by one particular individual to deal with it seemed disproportionate and would, as a knock on effect, have had an impact on their colleagues - who ended up having to cover for them.

The NHS is amazing and we are unbelievably lucky to have it. It is by and large staffed by fantastic people who do a great job in difficult circumstances. I can't see anywhere that the OP is denying that.

Not everyone who works for it is beyond reproach though, and there are piss takers in every profession. The fact that NHS workers are so stretched surely means that everyone should be pulling together, not seemingly skiving off and making their colleagues' jobs harder?

YANBU in my opinion OP. Anyone who is being paid to do a job, in any industry, should actually do that job rather than muck about for between 2-3 hours. And if it turns out she was on her break? Fine, it will be a lot of nothing.

littledrummergirl · 21/09/2016 23:55

You are very observant op. When I was rushed through a&e in the really ill bit all I can remember is the bloody machines beeping. A blink of the eye could last 10mins.

I think yabvu. Unless you were watching her continuously you don't know what she was doing.
I think you should complain about the doctors and nurses who behaved very unprofessionally by bitching to a patient. Hmm

Fiddle1964 · 21/09/2016 23:57

I would put it on feedback, My husband left the hospital after one nurse was loudly rude about our coming to the A & E Dept ( she was behind the curtains but in ear shot) as he wasn't an accident or emergency but chronically ill, he got up and left, i couldn't persuade him to stay.

I now know he was 'upset' because of his blood levels, we returned a week later from a call out about his INR levels, a full blood count showed him to be in full renal failure, he was placed in resus, then ICU, if only his experience the previous time wasn't as poorly managed we may have caught it earlier

Many nurses do a wonderful job but there are some really poor/lazy nurses who need to be let go, other staff shouldn't be carrying them!

stonecircle · 22/09/2016 00:29

They give out feedback forms because they want feedback so of course the op should pass on her observations.

The op is NOT complaining about staff having pizza but about the amount of time it took to order etc Given that this apparently bothered other staff it doesn't sound like the op was misreading the situation.

If anyone follows up comments on the feedback form and there was a good reason for the apparently lengthy pizza ordering then the member of staff concerned has nothing to worry about.

PortiaCastis · 22/09/2016 00:31

We have a chronic shortage of nurses in the NHS
www.hsj.co.uk/comment/the-nursing-shortfall-is-a-ticking-time-bomb/5084809.article

GabsAlot · 22/09/2016 00:33

if the other staff were lieing for her and mentioning it to the op surely thenits not just one persons opinion that she took too long on a break

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 22/09/2016 08:39

OP has already put it on the feedback form so it's in the hands of the hospital now anyway. We don't know whether the nurse was off doing other stuff or arsing about with pizza but I'm sure the NHS needs more undermotivated staff so it will be fine Smile

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 22/09/2016 08:41

I meant that the OP didn't actually know what was happening either when the nurse was out of the room (in case I get accused of troll hunting Smile)

AnneElliott · 22/09/2016 09:03

I don't think YABU op. And not all nurses/ doctors are angels and saints. Have met quite a few rude/stupid/lazy ones in my time.

I work for the public sector and I get annoyed at all lazy feckers in the public payroll as it's all of us that pay for them.

I think part of the problems the NHS has can be attributed to feeling that it is a sacred cow that is above criticism or reform.

I disagree with others that say the op should only complain if it directly affected her. I work in a part of the public sector that doesn't have much interaction with the public- that being the case, are you all happy for me and my team to skive? As no member of the public will know/ be affected by it? But it would affect the work of the Department as a whole in the end, and would be stealing- as I would be taking a edge that I hadn't earned.