Come on old maggot legs

[CocoChan]

Took my grandma to an appointment earlier ... leg dressing. The nurse came out and said “come on old maggot legs!”. My grandma smiled awkwardly and went into her appointment. Another bloke in the waiting room said “she calls me mouldy toes”.

When My grandma came out I asked her what the maggot legs was about and she hushed me and said in her last app she had maggots on her dressings.

My grandma was dead against me complaining. WIBU to complain anyway?? I’m feeling bad as my grandma doesn’t know she’s the centre of a complaint but the nurse said this in front of other patients!!

But far more concerning that the dressing had maggots

As a po said, maggots are used to treat leg ulcers.

You would definitely be unreasonable to complain on behalf of someone else when they have asked you not to.

@nokidshere

But far more concerning that the dressing had maggots

As a po said, maggots are used to treat leg ulcers.

You would definitely be unreasonable to complain on behalf of someone else when they have asked you not to.

And as the OP said, the maggots weren't there to treat the leg ulcers, they weren't supposed to be there.

Utterly unprofessional and disrespectful. Your poor grandma.
I would certainly make a complaint.
I dare say the nurse thought it was funny - she needs to be put very firmly straight.

I'd have complained, it was rude and unprofessional.

It is unprofessional behaviour.

"Maggot Legs" is a judgemental statement, and this will go against her code of conduct as a health professional.

She more importantly also spoke about her patients condition in front of other people therefore breaking her patients right privacy. This is also against her code of conduct.

The nurse probably has found she has joked around with a few patients in the past and it is has helped them, but the people who don't like it feel uncomfortable and don't speak up so she doesn't know.

As a practice manager I would want to know this was going on, because it may mean there is other unprofessional communication and professional boundaries being crossed.

I would provide feedback rather than a complaint stating the facts; she called you G.Mother "Maggot Legs" in front of a roomful of people and another patient commented she calls him "mouldy toes" to show its not a one off.

I don't even like having to stand at the intercom at the surgery and say my name and who I'm there to see in front of all the people waiting, let alone have a medical professional call me something that relates to what's wrong with me. I'd be fucking livid.

Wtf. Of course this is not acceptable. However, I would not complain when your grandma has asked you not to.

[quote gypsywater]@Sentos Thank god for that! I assumed they were there due to infection! Bleurgh.[/quote]
Also thought this!

This is clearly not OK. The name directly refers to elements of treatment and shouldn't be mentioned in front of others.

She sounds like a right cow!

I would have complained too. It's over-stepping the boundaries by a big old jump.

Yes she shouldn't be referring to someones condition in public. Totally unprofessional and in breach of confidentiality. It's the sort of thing that could potentially stop someone from attending further appts. Absolutely. I wouldn't have been back. Awful.

No woman at any point in her life would want to be called "maggot legs". What an appealing way to address someone.
I don't care how hard their job is or how little they are paid, it does not cost anything to treat someone with respect.

She shouldn't have said it but if your gran likes her, I'd maybe have a quiet word rather than complain. And when I'd had it, or maybe even before, I'd be asking about the maggots.

Appalling

I’m shocked by how unprofessional the nurse was and also by how on earth your grandma ended up with maggots on her leg ulcers that shouldn’t have been there, tbh, that would be the more concerning issue for me. Does she need help taking care of herself? How clean is her house?

@Iliketeaagain

No that's weird.. I have looked many a person with leg bandages, never in my life have I called someone "maggot legs" or "mouldy toes".

Building a rapport is asking someone jokingly if they've managed to stay out of trouble this week, or chatting about how nice it is to see them again, learning the names of their grandkids and asking after them, sharing some information they ask about your life.

IMO, one thing you definitely don't do is call them by a name which makes fun of whatever condition you are treating them for.

I probably wouldn't make a formal complaint, but I would let the nurse know that it's not appropriate. If any of my team did that, I would want to know and I couldn't defend a complaint like that - it would be made absolutely clear it's not appropriate.

Yep. This.

No it’s humiliating and discloses her condition to the waiting room. It is a breach of confidentiality and has a nasty undertone.
Can you imagine referring to someone as their disability or special needs instead of their actual name ?? This is the same but your Grandma is too polite to make a fuss. I’m glad you’ve complained.

'And as the OP said, the maggots weren't there to treat the leg ulcers, they weren't supposed to be there.'

It's rare, but not unheard of to get maggots in leg ulcers when they are not supposed to be there, particularly in the heat. It's not nice, but they normally get washed off and normally don't come back. Could be something as simple as a fly landing on a bandage and laying an egg on the outside of a bandage and then burrowing through the bandage as it's not waterproof (nor would it need to be). It's certainly not something that you joke about with a patient, as most people would of course be freaked out by it (as are nurses when we see it, we just hide it well!)

@BubblyBarbara

It’s just her way of keeping a sense of humour and rapport with her patients I guess. I would find it very hard to complain about someone working in the NHS nowadays unless they were medically negligent as they do such a hard job for such little reward.

It's her job! Presumably she wanted to be a nurse and knew the pay grades!

Unprofessional and unkind.

Sounds like bullying, under the guise of "it's just a joke".
The nurse is in a position of power and knows it, and she's taking advantage of vulnerable patients who have no choice but to nod and smile and accept her crap because she's the one who provides the services they need. Disgusting...

... But not entirely unheard of in the medical profession. It's a culture, which gets normalised under certain conditions. The staff copes with pressure by dehumanising their patients, then tell each other tales of "oh, but they like it!", "it's for their own good", etc.
You can find the same kind of attitude in some maternity services. The infantilisation is constant, and the contempt for patients palpable.

My dad actually wrote his MD thesis on that topic, many decades ago. Things haven't changed much since then...

I read an account of Japanese POWs working on the Burma Railway applying maggots to their infected wounds - the maggots would eat away the dead flesh, allowing the wound to heal.

That aside, 'maggot legs' isn't a very respectful way to address anyone.

If she said that me I’d laugh it off but I’m not an old woman with an infection so bad it causes maggots, so, yes, very inappropriate to humiliate your grandma that way in public.

If she spoke to my grandmother that way she'd need a nurse herself.

What a nasty woman! Concerned about the maggots OP, that's not normal!

of course you should complain! She's behaving like a bully towards her patients and sharing their confidential medical details for everyone to hear and wonder........
would you feel just as 'conflicted' if you went in for vaginal prolapse treatment, and in front of the whole waiting room you were referred to as "come on then saggy pussy"???

If she's saying this in front of people about them - i can just imagine what she's like behind closed doors.
It's nasty and unprofessional and has got bugger all to do with 'rapport'.

Maggot legs and mouldy toes
Somebody's clearly got a way with words!
I don't have an insensitive sense of humour at all, and abhor those who find people falling over etc funny.
But this post really did make me giggle, especially when others are taking it so seriously.
Sorry