Hospital bed curtains

[CurtainsAllowed]

Is it frowned upon to keep them shut?

Just had surgery, was in a LOT of pain (thankfully being managed now) and I am constantly being asked if I want my curtains around my bed opened.

I feel and look horrendous and am absolutely not ready to be having a chat with anyone else on the ward.
I just want to be left alone

I was in hospital for 5 days last year in a 6 bed ward. All curtains open. DS came to visit me straight from work and was promptly called over by another patient - he was wearing his dog collar and she wanted spiritual support! Great for her and it was fascinating for me to see him in action professionally (I refer you to my user name!).

When I was giving birth to him numpty tump years ago I and DH were a little discombobulated to find that another new mum in the ward was a client of his! (She and her DH were too!)

Particularly in postnatal units, the threads on here are legion, women in pain dismissed, ignored even shouted at when they wet the bed or their catheters overflow (having been on a cath myself, you can't actually feel when it overflows), women who've had emergency major abdominal surgery scolded and chastised when oral paracetamol doesn't cut it for them, the buzzers being placed out of reach of people who cannot use their legs. Women sworn at and threatened by other patients or their visitors for crying or moaning in pain or for their babies crying.

I was in a gynae ward with a patient who had dementia who got up all night, coming to your bed and shaking you awake, screaming her head off, pulling your hair. I was pregnant and too terrified to sleep. How does that ward situation assist recovery?

And even in there, the visitors come and hog up the toilet, shit all over it, piss on the floor, so you go in there to a filthy toilet.

The highlight of my recent hospital stay was a constipated woman a few beds down from me attempting to have a poo into a bedpan, assisted by the house doctor and the ward sister. The sounds coming from her were the type one would associate with someone giving birth. The other patients around her were shouting encouragement and one said loudly, "We'd better see a baby after all this.

Jesus Christ, that is Dickensian. Dreadful.

On the subject of toilets, in our local postnatal ward they are strictly for patients only. Nurses/midwives have been known to stop people going in. Visitors have to leave the ward and use the public toilets in the corridor.

However that doesn't mean they're particularly clean. They are, along with the showers, usually covered in blood. Obviously post natal women can't help bleeding heavily, but 1) they should let someone know if they make a mess that they can't clean up themselves and 2) they should be checked regularly anyway. It's gross.

Scoop I know what I'm doing with them.
If I rely on hospital meds I'll get none.
3 days it took them to get me something from my prescription which my 16yr old had to bring in.

I've been seriously ill and the loss of dignity and privacy was one of the most traumatic things about it.
In that case you were very lucky.

Are you aware that many, many patients develop PTSD after a hospital stay? And that feeling a complete lack of dignity is a contributing factor to making PTSD more likely?

I guess those people left with a brand new psychological disorder caused by their treatment at hospital are just lucky to be alive eh! Better to leave with flashbacks, nightmares, losing your sense of self then in a box, amirite freak?

For fuck’s sake.

Omg Walking
That's exactly it too.
You just have to say the name of one of the hospitals here and I freak out, it was wards too, but them not listening landed me in ICU intubated, not sure I'd make it.

Expat and Brillo until the situation with the resourcing of the NHS is resolved, I've no idea what you are supposed to do if painkillers/food/other basic care is not available. It's a shameful state of affairs.

I agree also that the distressing experiences posters recount on here about their stay in post-natal wards are horrendous! Reproducing women seemed to be targeted as the group who will put up and shut up. (My sister was left in a lavender scented bath whilst labouring in an NHS hospital which sounds great until - literally - hours passed with no visits and the pain became too bad for her to reach the emergency button, or get out the bath. She had to shout until a cleaner heard her and they went to get help.) Staff are permanently in overstretched/emergency mode and are unable to do their jobs properly. This state of affairs is not sustainable.

I live in a European country where the post natal care was so good (breast feeding specialists/physios/psychologists as a matter of course, in addition to excellent "standard" obstretician and nursing care) that I had to ask for people to stop coming in my room so I could rest! It's not all about the money but generally good care is possible if the system is properly resourced.

I needed and wanted the curtains shut all the time was my previous point, sorry if I wasn’t clear. Also it took an hour sometimes to get essential pain meds after using the call button, never mind when I needed curtains shut again several times a day to go in a bedpan or change a maternity pad whilst bed bound, it was a general ward so perhaps less used to new mums but even so..
There was no reason to have my curtains open and even when they did close them again when requested they consistently left them open a foot or more (I have photos it seemed so deliberate) and I was on the edge of the male ward so men were idly looking in whilst walking to their toilets.. horrendous! Those who would think me anti social just picture being in a busy ward literally broken and bleeding and mentally a mess without my baby and waiting for surgery for over a week in pain and then having to deal with onlookers while upset and trying to care for yourself intimately as you are bed bound and helpless at 35, it’s not fun and certainly was not a time to be social!! Op you go ahead and insist on your privacy hope you feel better soon! x

I have been in a private room on a neurology ward; it was awesome as I could sleep without being too disturbed. I've also spent 12 weeks on the bay bit of the same neurology ward, also awesome as I could talk to people and be observed easily.

I think it depends on the situation - I'd keep the curtains closed today, but i wouldn't worry about keeping people awake if you were in pain.

Thank God work pay for private healthcare for me. I had day surgery at the private hospital. Own room and was well cared for. My room was locked whilst in theatre. Single rooms didnt seem to cause staff any problem. Hospital gown with tie sides so your backside not exposed. No room for wards this day and age

Private wouldn't work for me even if I wanted it.
I always go in via 999 A&E, sometimes end up in resuss, then possibly HDU, then a respiratory ward.

The trouble is that some private UK hospitals do not have enough doctors available at night to deal with post-op complications.

I agree with the pp who mentioned that with everyone's curtains shut it does make the whole ward dark, blocks out all the natural light and feels very stuffy. It's quite an odd atmosphere. I'm only basing this on hospital stays on a maternity ward though where no one is seriously ill and suffering.

I sympathise with those that have had prolonged stays for serious conditions or major operations. It must have an impact on your mental state and recovery to feel so exposed, vulnerable and unable to escape the busyness and noise of a ward.

It's human nature to want to retreat and be alone when in pain or seriously ill.

Enlightened owl - the nhs use the same type theatre gowns as private hospitals. Have done for years.

'I'm only basing this on hospital stays on a maternity ward though where no one is seriously ill and suffering.'

The thing is, some in maternity wards are seriously ill and suffering. They've had crash CS's after many hours in labour, ill with complications, and they just need some space and privacy to sleep and recover.

It's not their jobs to make sure it's better for other patients, or the staff, but to recover from their major surgery in a space that's secure, clean, and with access to adequate pain relief and a clean, available toilet and shower or bathing facilities. This reduces infection and complications.

NO ONE should feel they have to give up their dignity, privacy and respect just because they are seriously ill. No one.

'The trouble is that some private UK hospitals do not have enough doctors available at night to deal with post-op complications.'

And as pointed out by Brillo and others, it is not available for many conditions and acute care.

Not the last NHS hospital i was in it was the gowns that left you exposed. And that was recent. Suspect staff issues in NHS hospitals with closed curtains is they have to actually check on people rather than sit at the nurses station gossiping

I always pull the curtains at night to try and block out some light, but during the day I prefer them open. I personally think it’s okay to keep them closed if you are in the end bed by the door, but not in the middle of a bay or by a window, as you block the light/breeze for others. I’m not expecting anyone to agree with me though.

I hate single rooms. You don’t see anyone apart from four hourly obs, it’s soul destroying. When you have lots of admissions people just don’t bother to visit you like they do if it’s a one off thing.

I had surgery in December and the ward I was on wouldn’t let you sit/lie on the bed from 8am to 6pm, apart from an hour in the afternoon that our bay nicknamed sleepy time. One day the lady next to me went to perch on the edge of the bed to do something and the nurse in charge shouted don’t you dare sit on that bed! It was up and out the morning after surgery, but to be fair every colorectal ward I’ve been on does the same.

Agree with PPS that wards are outdated as is the constant visiting - although this would be better if all patients were in private rooms. Hate the noise, lack of privacy, having visitors there all day staring at you ( and ridiculous that they can use patient toilets).

Yes fair point expat some patients on the maternity ward are recovering from major surgery.

Southwest
I don't find that, they never leave me alone.
With obs, Drs rounds, cleaners, bed changing, food and tea rounds wtf.
I do tell them to bog off if they try to make me get out of bed to eat though, by the time my table is turned, I've got up and sorted my IV and oxygen tubes so they aren't tangled, I'm too exhausted to eat.

Amazing enlightened. Not one nhs hospital I have worked in in the last 15 years had those old gowns.

Are you aware that many, many patients develop PTSD after a hospital stay? And that feeling a complete lack of dignity is a contributing factor to making PTSD more likely?

Our bloody NHS trust's nice custom logoed bed curtains are actually a major flashback trigger for me in terms of PTSD!

As for the stuff patients get told off for on post-natal wards... I got told off for having "those lights blaring all night disturbing other people". The lights in question were the lights for DD1's jaundice. Not quite sure what the fuck I was meant to do to stop the aforementioned lights blaring but seriously what an utterly unacceptable comment for a staff member to make!