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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Aibu to think that hospitals should do more to promote sleep for patients on wards

157 replies

Twistandshout77 · 12/08/2017 19:54

The nhs seems stuck in a dark age that doesn't recognise the value of sleep and comfort on patients. How is anyone supposed to recover whilst getting next to no sleep on busy, noisy, hot/cold wards with bright lights, staff talking and creaky metal bin lids banging? I'm just back from a 2 night stay with my LO in which I averaged 3 hours broken sleep a night - it wasn't me that's sick but I came out feeling so! God knows how anyone with a serious illness manages. There's SO much that could be done - and not that expensively. I'm sure they'd see much faster recovery rates and therefore savings too if there was a focus on it. Aibu to think the NHS needs to revolutionise its attitude towards sleep for inpatients? What can I do to start a campaign?!

OP posts:

Writerwannabe83 · 12/08/2017 19:56

What changes do you think could be made? What weren't you happy with?

Floralnomad · 12/08/2017 19:57

What could be done then OP , there's been a lot of research into protected sleep in hospitals already .

Toddlerteaplease · 12/08/2017 19:57

I'm a paediatric nurse and if anyone has any ideas about how to stop babies crying I'd live to hear them! I do feel for parents on the three days we have post op cleft lip and palate babies as they scream! We have the phone on a flasher not sound, but apart from trying to be quiet there is not much else we can do. It's a hospital not a hotel.

Original poster

Twistandshout77 · 12/08/2017 19:59

Lights out
Noisy bins
Staff talking
Patients tv's allowed to be on loud (surely enforce a headphone rule for all TVs?!)
Staff working bays right next to patients beds with the bright computer screens facing the beds
More sound and light dividers/protections between bays

OP posts:

Crunchymum · 12/08/2017 20:00

My DC1 had a 3 night stay and even though he was woken hourly for meds the first night, the nurses were quiet and respectful. The ward was dark, calm and there was little noise.

They didn't even wake me everytime they gave him meds.

user1493413286 · 12/08/2017 20:01

I agree; I spent a lot of time on antenatal wards while pregnant and sometimes felt that staff acted like because they had to be awake that there was no need to keep lights dim when they weren't using them or to speak quietly to each other. I totally understood when they were dealing with patients but things like putting very bright lights on to change a bed and having loud conversations kept me awake and completely exhausted me.

Original poster

Twistandshout77 · 12/08/2017 20:03

Obviously there's going to be noise and light but surely serious focus should be given to how minimise it - for example the ward I was on was completely open - just half way flimsy screens between bays - sound proofed walls that go floor to ceiling between each bay would at least minimise your disturbance to that bay
Also those blooming metal bins! Plastic ones are silent.

OP posts:

mirime · 12/08/2017 20:03

I agree.

I had nurses keep coming over to me after I'd had ds (he'd had to go to SCBU) wanting to lower the head end of the bed so I could sleep and had to explain to every single one that I can't sleep flat on my back. I need to be on my side or propped up a bit.

For various reasons (and possibly unnecessarily for some of it) we were in for the best part of two weeks. I imagine it wouldn't be so bad if you were just in overnight.

Being disturbed for checks or medication is fine obviously.

MOIST · 12/08/2017 20:03

Patients need care 24 hours a day. You can't do that silently and in the dark.

Obviously loud talking, loud bins, bright lights etc could go. But generally hospitals don't stop over night.

viques · 12/08/2017 20:03

My poor mum got stuck on night duty on a children's ward for nearly nine months straight as the matron of the hospitals flat was above the ward and she was heard to say about my mum "there's not a nurse in the hospital who can get those babies and children to sleep like little Nurse ViquesMum" she could too, it was a gift, like being able to cut bread and butter really thin ( they had to give the patients two slices, but if there was any left over it was an unwritten law that the nurses were allowed to eat it as long as sister didn't catch them doing it.)

sonlypuppyfat · 12/08/2017 20:04

I've been lucky enough to have only been in maternity hospital, but it's impossible to sleep. Last time it was so hot we were all lying on top of the sheets half naked and soaked in sweat it was awful

EmmaJR1 · 12/08/2017 20:04

When my DS was in hospital (straight after birth) he was woken for 3 hourly obs, twice a day for anti biotics, I was woken for 6 hourly obs (nothing wrong with me except having a baby a few days earlier) woken for water woken for tea, woken for breakfast at 7 even if I'd only just gone to bed. Woken because the silent close bins weren't silent plus all the chatter that goes on AND I was in a side room! I was a mess. But stupidly I didn't say anything because I was shell shocked after giving birth and grateful he was getting better.

annandale · 12/08/2017 20:05

I agree. I've been on wards that are brilliant (paediatric ward and postnatal ward, very difficult to sleep but they did absolutely everything possible) so imo it can be done. It requires the management /sister to put patient rest as a priority and surely to do some nights, at least occasionally.

Partypolitics99 · 12/08/2017 20:05

When I had an operation it was the bin lid clanging every 5 minutes. And yes you can close them quietly because I tested it.
The patient next to me had their TV on till 2pm, no headphones and when I complain i was told she had a right to have the telly on!!!! Apparently that trumped my need for sleep to try and recover

RandomMess · 12/08/2017 20:06

I self discharged after DC2 and refused to stay after DC3 & 4 for this reason!

Partypolitics99 · 12/08/2017 20:07

The metal bins can close a lot quieter you just realise your foot more gently

MOIST · 12/08/2017 20:07

I am taking notes from this. I'm on nights next week. I'll see if there is anything obvious we can change.
But we need some light, we need to talk to people. It's never going to be silent.

Seeyamonday · 12/08/2017 20:08

I was in hospital after having a heart attack, I was in CCU, exhausted and scared, I had to to complain about a porter whistling at 3am. Ward sister gave him short shrift!!

PollyFlint · 12/08/2017 20:08

I spent a couple of nights in hospital as a patient a few years ago. Obviously it wasn't as peaceful as being at home, but I wouldn't expect it to be. Lights can't be fully switched off because staff need to see what they're doing and patients need to be able to get up and walk to the toilet safely if they need to. Medical staff can't be expected to speak entirely in whispers for the duration of a full night shift. Patients are in pain and will need to call nurses for help. Bins, whichever way you look at it, are going to make a noise when opened, closed or emptied; nobody can be expected not to use a bin all night.

Regarding wards being 'hot/cold' - you can't possibly expect a hospital ward to be climate-controlled for your specific needs. One person's chilly is another person's warm; you just have to deal with it I'm afraid.

I think your expectations are a little bit unreasonable really. I know it's crap to be sleep deprived, but if you were in hospital with a sick child, how much would you really sleep anyway?! Pretty sure most parents would struggle to get a decent night's sleep while accompanying a child sick enough to be in hospital, however quiet the room was.

IndianaMoleWoman · 12/08/2017 20:08

YANBU.

I have spent a lot of time of gynae/antenatal/postnatal wards in the past few years. My main issues have been with other patients and their visitors: limits to number of visitors/visiting hours completely ignored, loud conversations, watching things/listening to music on phones with ho headphones/loud sweatey phone conversations at all hours of the day and night going completely unchallenged. And my number one complaint: snoring!

Add in medication rounds, machine alarms left sounding, insanely creaky bin lids etc. and there is very little opportunity for quality sleep.

OhtoblazeswithElvira · 12/08/2017 20:09

Yanbu at all.

My last hospital stay was while giving birth to DC2. 2 people in the ward (I know ), 27 degrees in the night, the windows only opened 2 inches. My room mate never looked at her newborn or picked him up so he cried a fair bit . She had stuff going on in her life, argued with baby's dad when he visited, chatted on her phone most of the night. Also buzzed for the nurses for several imaginary ailments - they reassured her at length that nothing was wrong. I was fully acquainted with all her health issues. Then the nurses chatted loudly between themselves- think one sitting with the patient at one end of the ward and the other standing at the door at the other end, both bitching about the phlebotomist who TBF sounded like hard work . Main lights got turned on and off in the night several times without warning.

I remember bringing this up with one of the nurses and she looked at me like I had 2 heads. It just didn't occur to them to speak quietly, for the sake of sleep / professionalism / patient privacy, or to try to regulate temperature, or to ask themselves if they really needed to turn the main lights on.

Like you say OP it's an attitude thing, a few small changes would make such a difference.

Sirzy · 12/08/2017 20:09

Surely the bins are as they are for hygiene reasons?

When ds has been in the lights have been dimmed but they can't go out completely and if something goes wrong during the night then they will need to go back up!

Sadly there is always going to be disruption because they are 24/7 places.

RandomMess · 12/08/2017 20:10

Not evicting visitors was an issue when I was in - bed next door had at least 6 there 9pm at night!

At least when DC was hospitalised she has c pox so we were in isolation and she was in the cot so I got the bed. Got DH to stay with DC the other times...

JustHappy3 · 12/08/2017 20:11

I hear you. I went stark staring mad from sleep deprivation after the birth of dc1.
Have never forgotten baby waking up just before 2am. His 6 hour meds were due in the next 10 mins and i rang the bell to ask if he could have have them then as he was awake. Response was
WE CANNOT OVERDOSE THE BABY! YOU WANT US TO OVERDOSE THIS BABY???
and yes it was full on shouting. Sure enough he fell asleep - they came back 30 mins later (underdosing a baby in pain obvs not a concern) woke him and me up and then he stayed awake.
And we were next to the bin which clanked. I still flinch if i hear a sound like it.

Original poster

Twistandshout77 · 12/08/2017 20:11

the TVs should automatically switch off at a certain time (to minimise light pollution) and not work without headphones

OP posts:

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