Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to Expect rules to be followed by nurses while my daughter is in hospital?

203 replies

Skmo1 · 16/12/2018 23:27

My 16yr old daughter got taken into hospital by ambulance this morning with severe stomach/abdominal pains. A&E, cannula in hand, pain relief (morphine through the cannula, then admission to ward and all very quickly! fantastic. As she is 16, shes in adult wards rather than children’s. She was very apprehensive about me not being able to stay over night with her plus she has anxiety, which brings on panic attacks about things like that! She phoned me at 8.30pm & told me she’d started feeling sore again & asked the nurse for a morphine top-up, (on docs request) nurse told her 5mins it would b with her. Nurse came back, alone & handed her a syringe filled with clear liquid & walked away! My daughter didn’t know what to do. It’s her first ever stay in hospital and also her first ever time having morphine. First time she has saw morphine was when she was down in A&E and the doctor put it straight into her cannula! She was a bit puzzled as to why SHE was GIVEN a syringe full of morphine, then left to her own devices. It’s very lucky she’s a bright girl & thought to ask before She whacked it through the cannula & it’s very very lucky she did ask as it was actually ORAL morphine, she was supposed to swallow it! So, shes got talking to a couple of women on the ward....as u do! One woman had blood and other bodily fluids all over her bed sheets from her admission on Fri. They havent been changed, at all. The same woman & another had violently vomited on Fri night and both their sick bowls are STILL sitting on their tables that go over the bed.....tonight (Sun).

So much for the hospital being vigilant in staying clean to Reduce the risk of patients catching superbugs like MRSA etc!! And also breaking controlled drug procedures completely to the point of negligence!

Am I being over the top???

OP posts:
GemmeFatale · 16/12/2018 23:29

It’s less then ideal. Could you give PALs a call in the morning?

Arnoldthecat · 16/12/2018 23:29

Welcome to our second world NHS... It can be very good and very bad all at the same time.

ElfOnTheShelfAteMyJoy · 16/12/2018 23:30

From my experience I think although morphine is now a restricted drug not controlled- I can't see them handing it over like that.

curlykaren · 16/12/2018 23:30

YR DEF NBU. That sounds grim and dangerous. Call PALS as soon as it opens in the morning, advise the other patients to do the same. Hope your daughter can come home soon x

Celtic1hair · 16/12/2018 23:31

No that is terrible, and huge amounts of guidelines are not being followed. Morphine is a controlled drug and two nurses should have been present to check your daughter's ID and watch her take it. That is a legal requirement. The rest of the issues you have seen is just downright discraceful. Hope your daughter has a speedy recovery and is home soon

OwlinaTree · 16/12/2018 23:32

I got given liquid morphine to take home after I had a section, so I think it can be given out.

MyDcAreMarvel · 16/12/2018 23:32

At 16 she should be on a children’s and young persons ward. It’s not appropriate for her to be left on her own unless that’s what you both wanted to happen.

orangesandlemmings · 16/12/2018 23:32

It sounds absolutely awful

But on morphine I have believed lots of strange things have happened

I'd just check out it did happen first

JudgeRindersMinder · 16/12/2018 23:32

From my experience I think although morphine is now a restricted drug not controlled- I can't see them handing it over like that.

Albeit it was 10 years ago, but that was precisely my experience of oramorph

Babyroobs · 16/12/2018 23:33

The Nurse should have supervised the Oromorph being given, however surely there is no way your daughter would have ever considered giving herself an intravenous drug, I don't think anyone would do that. Restrictions on Oromorph have been relaxed in recent years - we no longer have to write it in the controlled drug book etc, however the Nurse still should have watched her take it.

agnurse · 16/12/2018 23:34

Not only is that unprofessional, it's VERY unsafe. I'm a nursing instructor and believe me, if I had a student who did that, they would be getting an IMMEDIATE performance improvement plan (written document explaining that they're not meeting the objectives) and I'd be calling my boss.

I'd be reporting the nurse's actions to the unit supervisor. There should be one - they may be referred to as the "unit manager" or "head nurse".

Even if you are strapped for time and have a high patient load, basic safety can NEVER be compromised. That warrants an incident report.

sweeneytoddsrazor · 16/12/2018 23:34

I very much doubt full sick bowls have been left on rhe table for 2 days. I think your daughter is mistaken.

agnurse · 16/12/2018 23:35

ANY medication requires the nurse to supervise the patient taking it, unless it's a self-med pack. This is Med Admin 101 here.

Nothininmenoggin · 16/12/2018 23:36

OMG I work in NHS this is shocking. Your daughter was given Oromorph oral form of morphine. The nurse should have checked her ID hospital bracelet with your daughter confirming her name and DOB she should have also stayed with your daughter to ensure she took the drug safely and correctly as is standard with any drug even Paracetamol. Definitely speak to the ward sister and PALS about this as it just should not have happened. I hope she gets well soon.

makingmiracles · 16/12/2018 23:36

DOesnt sound ideal. In regards to oramorph, I was in hospital this summer for two weeks and I was just given it in a syringe to take, some just handed it over and left, some stood there and waited for me to take it....

giftsonthebrain · 16/12/2018 23:38

the issue seems to be with one nurse and one dose of medication not administered properly. complain to her manager but please don't lump all nurses together.
as for the cleanliness concerns follow through again with the manager on what you've seen, not acceptable.

cheesywotnots · 16/12/2018 23:42

The oramorph should have been explained and observed by the nurse, bring that up with the ward manager. I'd be surprised if vomit bowls were left for two days.

glueandstick · 16/12/2018 23:45

My experience with oromorph was being handed it, told to take it even though I didn’t know what it was and the nurse walked out before I could ask what it was. No checking of names. No watching. Nothing.

Perhaps they’ve relaxed the rules?

seventhgonickname · 16/12/2018 23:51

Innohospitals are 16 year olds on adult wards.18 is classed as and adult Inthe NHS so quite a bit of this post does not read right

Otterseatpuffinsdontthey · 16/12/2018 23:51

Think the oral drug would be "Oramorph". Does not require the presence of two nurses to check, measure or administer. However, the nurse should have explained to your daughter that it was to be taken orally, stayed with her while she took it, and correctly disposed of the empty syringe.
Visibly soiled bed linen should have been changed.
Sick bowls removed and replaced by fresh ones soon as.
Hope your daughter is feeling better, and gets home soon.

Suziepoozie · 16/12/2018 23:52

You need to contact PALs tomorrow - I’d be more worried about the infection control issues like the vomit and dirty sheets. The oral morphine issue sounds like a nurse being rushed, obviously a problem that does need to be mentioned but the vomit being left out for days is shocking (if true obviously)

Justajot · 16/12/2018 23:55

I was given oramorph after having DD2. I was told that it was oral, but I was left with the syringe of it and my new born baby. At the time I thought it was a bit odd to leave me with what presumably would be a dangerous dose of a medication for a baby with no supervision. The only plus side was that after having DD1 I had to beg for paracetamol, so I definitely got better pain relief.

CrystalTits · 16/12/2018 23:59

Although she’s on an adult ward, she’s still technically a child as she’s under 18. You can stay with her on the ward overnight - you may need to get the staff to find you a fold out bed from a children’s ward.
Ask to speak to the nurse in charge of safeguarding and child protection for the hospital. They will be able to help and advise you about her ‘transitional care’ (moving from child to adult services) and what you can expect in terms of adjustments because of her age.
I am experiencing exactly the same with my 17yo son at the moment and am typing from my fold out bed in his room on an adult ward! It’s not been easy moving to adult services but you can be there to stay and advocate for her.
Hope it goes well for you both from tomorrow, and she’s home soon.

HesterLee · 17/12/2018 00:03

It sounds like different Trusts have different guidelines for the administration of oramorph. In my Trust it is still a controlled drug that needs 2 nurses to check the drug and the patient.

Unless the vomit bowls are not the usual cardboard type, they would have become saturated and split and leaked by now if left full of liquid for 2 days.

sunbunnydownunder · 17/12/2018 00:16

I am in Australia so maybe protocols are different but here if you are been given any kind of controlled substance like morphine 2 nurses have to be present. They check your wrist band and confirm the details with you and then make sure you take the morphine.