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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:
Tartyflette · 17/12/2018 00:22

ER -- 16 yr old DS was put on an adult men's ward before and after facial surgery for broken jaw (rugby accident not fight!)

Disquieted1 · 17/12/2018 00:23

I assume that you have been very close by while your 16yo has been in hospital. What did the doctors and nurses say when you spoke to them?

Happygolucky25 · 17/12/2018 00:24

I’m really sorry to say but I think this maybe slightly exaggerated it is not worth the nurses career to do that.

Redglitter · 17/12/2018 00:36

I find it very hard to believe sick bowls have been lying since Fri. The patients will have been fed, given drinks, meds, blood tests etc there is no way nurses would leave used sick bowls or blood covered sheets that length of time

AornisHades · 17/12/2018 00:39

I was alone on an adult ward at 17 and was left alone. I was in for a planned op but all I remember was geriatric (medical sense) women and it was really scary. There was no suggestion that a parent stayed with me. That was 30 odd years ago and I can quite believe (with more recent experience) that medicine is dumped down without advice that might be obvious to a nurse. I took something I shouldn't have in that situation.

Chucky16 · 17/12/2018 00:40

Whilst Morphine is a controlled drug, the oral version (Oramorph), is not in most Hospital Trusts, and it very much looks like it isn’t one in your trust, so no controlled drug procedures broken. However with any prescribed drug, even paracetamol, the nurse should be checking the patients name band and asking them their date of birth. They should then ensure the patient takes their medication.
As for the sick bowls and dirty sheets, there is no excuse for that. Such negligence is inexcusable and should be reported to Ward Sister. Lack of staff, or staff being too busy is not a feasible excuse. In fact I think you should really but in an official complaint. Do hope your daughter is well again soon.

orangesandlemmings · 17/12/2018 00:41

I do think there's some truth to this but honestly on morphine I hallucinated a lot of terrible things happening in a hospital

I'd have put in a complaint too if someone hadn't pointed out why things couldn't have possibly been the way I said they were

FruminousBandersnatch · 17/12/2018 00:42

"I assume that you have been very close by while your 16yo has been in hospital."

The OP says she isn't allowed to stay overnight.

This sounds awful to me! I would be complaining. Blood and vomit just left untouched? Horrible and unsanitary.

IfOnlyOurEyesSawSouls · 17/12/2018 00:50

Load of rubbish.

The sick bowls would have split long ago .

dangerinthemanger · 17/12/2018 00:51

16 year olds here go on the children’s ward as long as they are in full time education my son got admitted at the same time as another 17 year old in an apprenticeship and they went to the adult ward but my son got admitted to the youth ward in the children’s bit

ItWasOneTime · 17/12/2018 00:54

@HesterLee
@sunbunnydownunder

In my trust, Oramorph can be dished out pretty easily, it is kept in the locked general drugs trolley, not the controlled drugs cupboard, and doesn't need to be second checked by another nurse.

Personally I think that should change, especially as we recently had an incident where a nurse actually gave it to a patient through their cannula! Thank God the patient was okay.

Original poster
Skmo1 · 17/12/2018 00:56

It was the woman in the bed next to her that said about it as she could hear that I was not happy about the morphine procedure.

OP posts:
ItWasOneTime · 17/12/2018 00:58

OP speak to the ward manager, write down your concerns and go through it with them. Ideally your daughter should have a side room so that you can stay with her if that's what she wants/needs, 16 is too young to be on an adult ward on her own bless her.

MerryGinmas · 17/12/2018 00:59

I was in last week and just given doses of oramorph..no checks etc. Everything busy but organised on my ward so I'm certain that it was above board.

They should have explained it should be taken orally though. What are they thinking is the problem? I hope she's alright X

CherryPavlova · 17/12/2018 01:00

Ask to see their policy on accommodation for children. They have one and many trusts do say that they only treat children up to 16 years on the children’s ward. After that they go to adult wards but the arrangements should still be overseen by the senior paediatric team. In practice this rarely happens and children between 16-18 are left floundering and frightened on adult wards. It’s not good but is accepted practice.
Occasionally a child with particular needs can continue to be seen by paediatricians until about 24 (if they have DMD or another rare condition of childhood). They’d still generally be admitted to an adult ward.
Oromorph is not managed as a controlled drug and dependent on medicines policy, can be administered by a single nurse. Often two are still used as a safety net. Usual medicine checks should be followed - check their name etc with patient. There is no need to stand by and watch a competent patient take it. Often patients self medicate with their drugs from home.
Most adult wards aren’t set up to accommodate visitors overnight. You could ask. Most Assessment Units have open visiting as people are coming and going all night anyway. You could probably have stayed in a chair by the bed, if you wanted.

Vomit on the side doesn’t ring as entirely accurate.

Original poster
Skmo1 · 17/12/2018 01:06

Procedure is exactly the same here!

OP posts:
Original poster
Skmo1 · 17/12/2018 01:14

I’ll see for myself later this morning. Tbh, my daughter has witnessed all of these things, sick bowls, bed sheets etc, and I was on the phone to her at the time 2 women were telling her about it (I could hear them talking so she’s defo not imagining them) and one thing she is not is a LIAR but thanks for your feedback.....I appreciate all responses and constructive criticisms

OP posts:
Original poster
Skmo1 · 17/12/2018 01:15

I can assure you it is most defiantly a controlled drug here

OP posts:
Original poster
Skmo1 · 17/12/2018 01:19

We are in Scotland. I am on morphine myself and have been for many years unfortunatly and up to and including recently I have been in and out of hospital more times than I care to remember so I know exactly what the procedure is. 2 nurses go to where they keep the controlled drugs. Measure it out, count and make sure what they have taken away marries up with what they have left from what they have taken from it, record in their CD register, go back to patient, 1 nurse stands with your folder, the other at the side of your bed. The patients name is asked, nurse checks the wrist band along with patients CHI number. All correct, one of the nurses gives u tabs/syringe and BOTH PRESENT NURSES wait until they have clearly seen the patient swallowing it! It is legal procedure that the MUST follow! There are people out there who, if left with tablets of that nature would just pocket them and say that they had taken them!

OP posts:
IHaveBrilloHair · 17/12/2018 01:19

Dd was on an adult ward last month, she's 17.
Luckily it's all private rooms and she knows the hospital well since I'm in a fair bit, also many Drs/Nurses know me and have for sometime as we have the same condition, it also means she familiar with meds etc.
I don't think she'd cope at all well with a traditional ward, I don't cope well with them and I'm an adult.

JazzTheDog · 17/12/2018 01:29

Also in Scotland, Morphine Sulphate oral solution (oramorph) is very much NOT a controlled drug in my trust. Stored on regular drug trolley, 1 nurse to sign.

It sounds like the nurse did not follow appropriate procedures for administration of medication but I don't believe there's any nurse willing to risk their registration by mis-administering controlled meds.

As someone else said, vomit bowls with vomit/liquid in them would have split by now.

As a 15 year old I was admitted to an adult ward (25 years ago) due to the nature of my illness so its not unheard of.

Otterseatpuffinsdontthey · 17/12/2018 01:39

Also in Scotland. May I ask which Trust you are talking about.
The administration of Oramorph and Morphine tablets (MST) differs.

Lomondstripe · 17/12/2018 03:08

I have to say that whether it is the correct procedure or not, this happened to me in Scotland this summer - asked for top up relief and went to use loo, when I came back there was a plastic syringe in a cardboard sick bowl but no nurse to be seen (2 of us on ward only) - I could hardly see straight for pain so assumed it was to be put in via cannula so didn’t touch it...half an hour later I shuffled out to enquire and was told it was oral. There was also blood smeared on the legs etc of the bed which I saw when I bent down for my slippers.

Same hospital when my mother was in for hysterectomy there were women covered in blood and other fluids - between the lot of them they tried to help each other clean up etc as best they can but there was blood on the floor the entire time she was there and dirty gauze etc left as the women on ward weren’t up to getting to the bin and back.

I understand they are woefully understaffed and underfunded but truly, there’s not an excuse for much of what goes on is there?

Hope your daughter feels better soon x

Redskyandrainbows67 · 17/12/2018 03:54

I don’t think I would have left my dd overnight on her own. I know you ‘aren’t allowed to stay’ but they aren’t exactly going to call the security guards and remove you if you insist on staying are they? She clearly needs someone with her.

Redskyandrainbows67 · 17/12/2018 03:54

Ps not excusing the crap nursing at all