Nobody answering the call nurse button.

[peachy3]

Not really an AIBU, posting here for traffic, just want to know if anyone else has been in this place and what myself or one of the other patients can do?

I’m currently admitted in hospital with an infection and high heart rate that isn’t coming down. Im on the Labour ward as I’m 36 weeks pregnant. There’s only 4 of us in this room and a few people in another room down the hall. I’ve tried to use my call nurse button a few times but it’s not been making any sound. I brought it up to one nurse who said she’ll be back with a replacement over an hour ago, spoke to another nurse who said the first nurse was sorting it and spoke to a third nurse who said she’ll go find out about it but nobody has come back. I’m in no way bashing the nurses or angry at them at all, they could have been called away to something important, but the woman next to me has pressed her button for me which works and nobody is coming in. It’s been a few hours now, I did go out a few times but was told someone would be coming in now and then nothing. I’ve decided to just wait it out a bit but the lady opposite me has been ringing her button, she’s currently having contractions, and nobody has been coming in. Her button works as it’s making the noise it should but no one is coming in to see her. I’m of course not a nurse but I’ve heard a lot of laughter and chatting out in the hallway which makes it seem like we’re being ignored. Is there anything I should do? I’m the only one not in labour so I don’t mind going out to say something but I also don’t want to sound terrible and entitled, I know how hard nurses work and would never disrespect them.

Any suggestions?

MarbleQueen so now you're dictating how nurses should spend their breaks?!
I'm not justifying the op situation as that's not right but having been a nurse for 17yrs I can tell you we definitely do miss breaks most shifts

Don’t start accusing me of dictating because you’re feeling defensive.

It’s clear that extended breaks are happening on some wards at the nurses station because myself and many other people on this thread have witnessed it. And we’re not talking a quick cup of coffee, we’re talking this shit going on for hours with screeches of laughter all night.

If you don’t do this yourself I would imagine you have seen colleagues doing it over the course of 17 years.

The whole image of the run off your feet nurse who doesn’t get time to eat is a joke and most people who have spent time on wards that run like this know it’s a joke. That’s not to say all wards run like this but many do.

Sorry I've missed it @Jannt86 or if you don't want to say, but what is your role in the hospitals? I'm just wondering if you have a role which is perceived 'higher' than other HCPs which could maybe explain why you have never witnessed the sort of things PP's have described? Maybe they're just on their best behaviour when you're around?

Or maybe you have just been fortunate to work with genuinely good HCP's?

I genuinely fear ending up in hospital again because the level of care is so poor.

Same. I would have to be unconscious to go to hospital - I'd never be admitted willingly.

Well I've worked in hospitals several years and NOT witnessed it. Are you saying I'M lying?

What you've worked in every hospital in the country? Maybe contact the Guinness Book of Records!

I am a retired Nurse and Midwife,what I hear about Nurses these days is horrific.

Before I retired I worked part time in a hospice in the Midlands.I finished at 3pm on an early shift.I was often left as the only qualified person on the unit at lunchtime,the late shift would arrive and go in the office for the report,the rest would be at lunch.If a patient needed pain relief then,they had to wait.I would hear the laughing and general rowdiness coming from the office,it infuriated me,my complaints fell on deaf ears.I walked out in the end.

I have not Nursed since,I took early retirement.I am always seeing praise heaped on this hospice locally.How patients at the end of life could be left waiting for pain relief beggars belief.Yet the staff thought they were utterly marvellous,they certainly weren’t in my eyes.

"Well I've worked in hospitals several years and NOT witnessed it. Are you saying I'M lying?"

I would never say you are lying, it is entirely possible that you have never seen such things. What I would say is that you are playing the 'I didn't see it, therefore I don't believe it and it doesn't exist' card which is deeply unhelpful and completely undermines anybody who has experienced shoddy care.

I have worked with nurses who absolutely are in the wrong profession although in my 17 years I've never witnessed a patient being intentionally ignored.
I've also never known nurses to all be on break together.
I have sat and had a cup of tea at the nurses station whilst doing my notes and had abuse from relatives telling me that I'm slacking off! Didn't make much difference when I told them it was the first I'd had to drink in 6 hours.

This situation is quite common I think. I have experienced it myself whilst giving birth (on both occasions) and when son had major surgery. It is not nurse bashing as this is my actual experience. Some nursing staff really should not be in this line of work. Lack of compassion and lazy.

I too silently laughed to myself when everyone was clapping for the NHS....😒

Don't tarnish all nurses/care staff with the same brush.
The vast majority are decent hardworking professionals and it's a bloody hard job!
Trust me the image of a nurse being run of her feet is very much no joke.

So what do you suggest? The staff are ignoring their patients needs and that's not on? If they don't want a false emergency they should respond to patients bells.

I would suggest that if you have form for pulling the emergency cord when it’s not an emergency, that one time you (or someone else) is actually having an emergency, they might just not run quite so fast.

I have not Nursed since,I took early retirement.I am always seeing praise heaped on this hospice locally.How patients at the end of life could be left waiting for pain relief beggars belief.Yet the staff thought they were utterly marvellous,they certainly weren’t in my eyes

I think we have been manipulated into being pathetically grateful for the care we do get. And I feel extremely sorry for the nurses on these wards who appear to pick up the slack single handedly.

This situation is quite common I think. I have experienced it myself whilst giving birth (on both occasions) and when son had major surgery. It is not nurse bashing as this is my actual experience. Some nursing staff really should not be in this line of work. Lack of compassion and lazy.

You experienced it twice and therefore it is quite common.

Even if you take the totality of the “oh the nurses were just drinking tea” posts on here, with the number of people who are in hospital daily, and the nod towards confirmation bias happening here, it still is a tiny number when compared to the number of people who have been in hospital. If this was “quite common”, you can bet your arse there would be a public outcry about it.

I retired from the NHS in 2016.
No drinks were allowed at the nurses station when I left and with covid I would have thought they definitely shouldn’t be allowed.

Have the rules changed or are they being ignored by the night shift?

@Riseholme

I retired from the NHS in 2016. No drinks were allowed at the nurses station when I left and with covid I would have thought they definitely shouldn’t be allowed.

Have the rules changed or are they being ignored by the night shift?

Think they're ignoring it. In the sense that when I was weeping at maybe 4am they included me in their tea round. It was in a travel mug though.

@Jannt86

The comtempt towards nursing staff on here is unbelievable. No nurse I've ever worked with would ever disable or ignore a call button. If they aren't answering it won't be because they're sat sipping a coffee or making a tiktok video it will be because they genuinely are busy seeing to other things. Welcome to the reality of our broken NHS. I can assure you that the staff looking after you are as upset about it as you are. Be angry if you need to be but please direct it at the right people. Oh and if the red button people are telling you to push is the emergency buzzer then please DON'T push it unless you believe there to be a genuine threat to life as this is what it's for. It's a seriously dick move, you'll get every doctor and nurse on the ward running to you within seconds and I promise you they won't thank you for it. Sorry you're having a hard time but please know that the nurses are lilely working as hard as they can

You may not have seen this but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. People are giving you plenty of examples of situations when care has been poor. I’m glad that your place of work isn’t like that but it’s clear that some places are. And fwiw my example was 14 years ago so long before our NHS became ‘broken’.

I had a really awful midwife when I went in to be induced. I was in a side room alone as she had decided that I wouldn’t be giving birth that night. Dh had been sent home when my contractions really kicked in. I went out several times to the desk to tell her that my pain had increased and that I thought things were moving on, each time she told me that I was clearly nowhere near and sent me back to my room to try and get some sleep. I honestly felt like I was overreacting because of how dismissive she was. I’d had an epidural early with my first due to complications so I didn’t really have anything to compare it to. I thought I must not be coping with early pains and was berating myself thinking I should toughen up and get used to it as worse was to come when I was in ‘proper’ labour. She may have been busy, but it definitely wasn’t with other patients as she never left the desk. She didn’t even stand up when telling me to go back to bed.

Thankfully dh rang to see how I was and could hear in my voice how much I was struggling. He rushed back, took one look at me and went straight back to the nurse’s station to ask why I’d been left in that state and demand that she got someone else in to see me right away. As soon as I was examined (by a lovely consultant as dh had said that she wasn’t allowed anywhere near me) I was rushed straight down to the labour ward, but far too late to have an epidural or any type of pain relief. I needed to push as soon as they moved me so I had done most of my labouring in a room on my own feeling like I must be weak or imagining it.

I’ve had a lot of experience with hospitals, and could give many examples of both exemplary and shoddy care, but none affecting me personally like this did. I had a wonderful midwife when I was giving birth to my first and the community midwife with my second was also fab. Most nurses and midwives are caring people who are good at their jobs. That doesn’t mean this woman wasn’t dismissive and unkind to me when I was at my most vulnerable. She made me feel like I was being dramatic and if dh hadn’t realised that something was amiss I could have given birth alone after being ignored by her for hours. My community midwife was appalled and actively encouraged me to complain, and dh was very keen to do so, but I thought that I had come away with a healthy baby so should just count my blessings and move on. If I could go back I would pursue it as poor care should never be ignored.

I’m not angry at the NHS, other nurses or the system but I am still angry at this woman and she is fully deserving of it. ‘The reality of our broken NHS’ shouldn’t mean unkindness, cruelty and neglect are commonplace and ignored by others who would prefer to bury their heads in the sand and pretend it doesn’t happen.

I have never had good experiences with nurses. My opinion of them is not high.

They are ignoring you OP. My friend husband was in hospital, there was a 90 year old next to his bed. He pissed himself. thy left him there for 3 hours , my friend had to be really arsy to them to get attention for him She threatened to report them. They also left him with no water for hours. Its heart breaking. They simply dont care.

I'm a nurse and would be gutted if my patients weren't getting proper care for whatever reason, please do bring this to their attention, it is not rude to factually state that the call bell isn't being answered for whatever reason and that your concerned for yourself and the other ladies in your bay. PALS can help you if you feel able but can also be accessed later than the line when you're home and better if you would find opening a complaint stressful!

On a side note, virtually all wards are critically understaffed at the moment, nurses are painfully aware of the shortages and when you go to PALS it actually backs us up when we try and escalate the issues ourselves! It's not a bad thing, we want the same as you!

@AnneElliott

Agree that these are lived experiences - all the defensive nurses (and teachers) on here should realise if you're not lazy and shit then THIS THREAD IS NOT ABOUT YOU!

There are lazy and shit people in every profession including my own, and when I hear about shit practices I offer help and advice as to how to complain.

I have seen lazy nurses and agree the night shift is often worse. During the day there are prying visitor eyes.

Definitely complain and loudly to whoever comes to the ward. And you should call and make a formal complaint as well. Don't worry about being seen as rude. That's what they rely on.

That's a quick way into the fub list some wards maintain

I should have gotten pain relief at 3 but I was asked to wait till 5 so that I could go to sleep and not have to wait. I recieved it at after 11. I got out of bed and asked twice, by the time I did get it, I could hardly speak with the pain and it was wrong but told to just take it anyway 🤣 I didn't realise it was also double strength. I had the best night sleep of my stay

@BoredZelda

This situation is quite common I think. I have experienced it myself whilst giving birth (on both occasions) and when son had major surgery. It is not nurse bashing as this is my actual experience. Some nursing staff really should not be in this line of work. Lack of compassion and lazy.

You experienced it twice and therefore it is quite common.

Even if you take the totality of the “oh the nurses were just drinking tea” posts on here, with the number of people who are in hospital daily, and the nod towards confirmation bias happening here, it still is a tiny number when compared to the number of people who have been in hospital. If this was “quite common”, you can bet your arse there would be a public outcry about it.

If there is a problem two out of three times, it's common

How many times do you think people stay in hospital

Contact PALS

They’ll have a phone number or email. They’ll ring the ward.

I had to do this with a dr who refused to treat my fatal condition!!and nearly killed me.

Those of you who are good nurses please don’t get defensive. We understand you are overworked but it seems to me it’s being made worse by working with people who don’t pull their weight. If you don’t call them out and help to raise standards surely you will continue to be run off your feet doing the job of more than one person. It looks like the whole culture needs to change in some hospitals.

Hope you are ok .
I have on two occasions had this issue. I was fortunate to be able to get out of bed and I sorted the issue by getting dressed and walking out of Ward. Nurses some came running after me. I asked to sign a waiver to be discharged so needed to get a doctor to agree. They soon ushered me and my bed and treatment was far better after that

@Ddot

How many times do you think people stay in hospital

Person