Page 6 | Nobody answering the call nurse button.

ThanksItHasPockets · 25/02/2022 09:23

@bollocksthemess I’m really glad that you and your babies are OK now. Am I inferring correctly that you were pregnant with multiples? If so, that might answer your question about why you had such good care. It’s quite possible that women with supposedly low-risk pregnancies would have had different experiences on the same ward.

Sarahcoggles · 25/02/2022 09:26

@Ramalamadingdongs

Cannot believe someone's moaning about a nurse waking her up to give her child medicine.

Nothing surprises me. I had a patient who moaned because her dress was cut so the doctors could do CPR when she had a cardiac arrest.

AllOfUsAreDead · 25/02/2022 09:29

@wishtotravel

The reality is that some nurses are good, some are bad. Like the same can be said for every profession, teachers, police, doctors, shop workers, office staff etc. You get good ones and bad ones.

It's just a bit worse with doctors and nurses who are meant to be you know keeping people alive if they can. Ignoring them and letting them suffer isn't good. And ignoring that does nothing to help the situation and get it resolved. Of course, just complaints doesn't always work otherwise the local hospital here would have been demolished years ago, a better one built and the staff would have been actually retrained and reprimanded for their bad behaviour. But the short sightedness by the council and government prevents that so there's bugger all complaining will do.

So it's not just the staff we have to complain to, it's the government too for allowing it to continue.

newbiename · 25/02/2022 09:34

@bigyellowTpot

The nurses are probably busy making a tik tok video like they spent most of their time doing during covid lockdown. those videos take hours to choreograph so best not to disturb them so just tell the woman in labour to cross her legs.Then they will need tea and biscuits before they can attend to the patients. It's an absolute joke.

I worked as a nurse through the pandemic. Never made a tik tok video. Don't know any other nurses who did. I know many who worked without breaks though on 12 hour shifts.

Onlyforcake · 25/02/2022 09:34

During her recent hospital stay my friend called me saying she needed water and was being left. I'd gone to the supermarket and then the hospital (30 min drive) and had a porter take her up water, cups and squash (no visitors) before a nurse had answered her call. I was probably hitting an hour and a half. She couldn't get out of the bed.

hulahooper2 · 25/02/2022 09:34

That’s shocking and I would make a formal complaint, calls shouldn’t be ignored. This happens far too much , patients are a distraction to nurses gossip

newbiename · 25/02/2022 09:34

@bigyellowTpot

The nurses are probably busy making a tik tok video like they spent most of their time doing during covid lockdown. those videos take hours to choreograph so best not to disturb them so just tell the woman in labour to cross her legs.Then they will need tea and biscuits before they can attend to the patients. It's an absolute joke.

Also , if OP is on an ante natal ward , they're not nurses , they're midwives.

BoredZelda · 25/02/2022 09:36

Now await 100s of posts about how we sit at the nurses station eBaying, chatting about our social lives or choreographing tik tok dances. Never done it in my 30 years career.

Oh come on, it’s been a week since we’ve had a proper nurse bashing post, we were surely due for one.

FWIW, I spend a lot of time in hospitals for various reason and I’ve never seen one nurse sitting at the nurses station doing whilst alarm bells were going off. I’ve seen empty nurses stations with alarms going off because nurses are busy attending to other patients. That’s far more common, but nobody comes on here to post about how we need to do something about that.

Soontobe60 · 25/02/2022 09:37

@Opal8

Post on their fb page and contact the ceo on twitter

That'll do it

I wouldnt let some nurses look after a dog frankly

So no doubt you’ll be paying for private healthcare then?

IsItTooHotInHere · 25/02/2022 09:37

Are you able to get up and walk about? I'd go and tell the nurses you need help, and that you should be resting.

I was in hospital for 6 weeks last year, with Covid then a stroke - unable to stand, move (due to the stroke), was also was on a drip, catheterised, etc. The bastards kept putting my buzzer out of reach, leaving me there unable to get to anything. Nurses aren't all angels at all

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 25/02/2022 09:38

Also , if OP is on an ante natal ward , they're not nurses , they're midwives

What's your point,apart from to split hairs?

thatsnotabadger · 25/02/2022 09:38

Speak to the healthcare assistant. They always get shit done in my experience. I told 3 midwives my bed was broken after having DD1, they all said "yeah yeah ok", then I showed the healthcare assistant and I immediately got a new bed.

BoredZelda · 25/02/2022 09:40

This is exactly the attitude I don't want to hear. It's not patients being selfish and thinking they are the only person on the ward. It's people being deliberately ignored, shouted at, left crying in their own shit, refused food, refused pain relief, laughed at and so on. And yes I've witnessed all of these things with my own eyes. It's not selfish to expect basic human kindness

You’d think if this was commonplace, there would be a National scandal about it.

HarrietteNightingale · 25/02/2022 09:41

So no doubt you’ll be paying for private healthcare then?

Why should she have to? It isn't obligatory to tug your forelock for something we all pay for as taxpayers, FFS. If people with a duty of care for vulnerable people are negligent they need to be retrained or managed out, as they would be in any other job.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 25/02/2022 09:41

It's not nurse bashing, it's picking up examples of poor nursing

Exactly - except to some we're not even supposed to do that, because they prefer the narrative of every HCP being a hero who we're lucky to have

Fortunately the true professionals appreciate bad practice being identified so that it can be dealt with, but too often there's a mulish closing of ranks, which is part of the problem in the first place

Wavypurple · 25/02/2022 09:43

The people encouraging OP to pull the emergency buzzer are absolutely deluded and have such a high sense of self righteousness it’s actually amazed me.

It’s for EMERGENCIES. Fucking hell 🤦🏼‍♀️

BingoNinja · 25/02/2022 09:46

One of the worst things that has emerged over the last two years is this idea that everyone who works for the NHS is some kind of incredible, compassionate, hardworking angel who must never ever be criticised under any circumstances. They are not, they are people doing a job, and just like any job, some will be great, and some will be nasty, lazy bullies.

The elevation of the NHS and it’s staff to deity levels during that pandemic is dangerous. The NHS needs to be pulled up on poor care when it happens, and poor staff need to be taken to task and criticised when they are doing their job badly, or not bothering to do it at all. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of NHS staff do care and are decent, but that does not automatically mean that they are all selfless heroes working tirelessly who must never be criticised or disturbed. A lot of pretty awful care and traumatic patient experiences are swept aside and ignored under the guise of supporting “our beloved NHS”, even when it’s clear that it is becoming increasingly unfit for purpose.

Sorry for the rant, but as someone who was told by three separate nurses that I was making a fuss when I presented with late-stage sepsis, the assertion that we must never, ever criticise the NHS or it’s staff gets to me. Hope you all get the help that you deserve OP.

CrotchetyQuaver · 25/02/2022 09:49

It's been the same for many years, a few bad eggs but not all of them are by any stretch. I had the call button out of reach after a c section at night one nearly 30 years ago now and needed my fellow ward mates to call the midwife when my catheter bag was so full it was backing up and absolute agony.

I had to kick off advocate for my uncle when the ward he was on was terrible. Loud voice came out there, they were a total utter shit show of lazy and uncaring. From leaving his drinks out of reach upwards. The old guys on his ward had quite a lot to tell me about when I went in.

Equally and more often I've come across absolutely wonderful teams of nurses on wards in more recent times (pre covid). They do get constantly distracted running around after patients needs and things can slip through but I could see they were good people doing their best. The idle uncaring ones, well these days I'd consider it a bit of amusement to see if I could actually get them to do some work.

Don't be shy. Their job is to look after you whilst you're in hospital, if they're not doing that then it's reasonable to go down and apologise (ironically) for interrupting their chat and hover until they come. All the time chatting nicely to them. They don't like but fuck it they are there to do a job not bloody chat. I absolutely dread to think how it is on the effectively closed wards we have now where visitors aren't allowed. There must be all sorts going on.

User310 · 25/02/2022 09:50

I am a nurse and this is the exact reason why I won’t work in the hospital. I have been absolutely rushed of my feet and I will still answer the call bell within 5 minutes if only to tell them I am caught up and I will be back ASAP. I suppose it depends on where you are and the work culture they have. I have seen my fair share of crap nurses and it is infuriating! Sorry you’re not being looked after properly OP.

Somethingsnappy · 25/02/2022 09:50

Did it get sorted in the end, OP?

TabithaTittlemouse · 25/02/2022 09:57

Hope you are okay @peachy3

It sounds horrible.

mummykel16 · 25/02/2022 10:04

@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?

That's the norm now I'm sorry to say .

Stath · 25/02/2022 10:04

@Prettynails

Red button.

Bad police officers.
Bad teachers.
Bad nurses.
Bad doctors.

Just like there are good ones.

I was refused pain killers by ‘busy nurses’ who were on their phones metres away from my bed talking loudly through the night - and they were messing around. Deference to nurses because they demand it as a profession is ridiculous.

I phoned a family relative - as I couldn’t get out of bed and my call button went unanswered I like most patients was vulnerable hence being in hospital - a nurse had rudely told me the next shift would get my medication as they were busy.

Family relative just happened to be a consultant in the hospital and working and she came pounding down the corridor - you should of seen their horror as they scattered back to their duties and said relative demanded all patients were given painkillers and checked. Relative who was a consultant made a complaint as well. Sometimes a bad one makes a bad two and that can create a bad culture in ANY profession but nurses like doctors are not prefect.

If you are great at your job - great. But call out those that aren’t and don’t defend them - root out the problem from within.

Please don’t use the NAOUALT - not all of us are like that argument. Some are. Support the patient support what’s right.

This.

The vast majority of nurses and HCPs I’ve dealt with as a patient, parent, carer of family and in a professional capacity have been great at their job even under strain.

The bad ones stick out terribly as patients are traumatised at probably one of the most vulnerable times in their lives.

I know myself that sub par practice can sometimes become the culture by stealth on wards especially if led from the behaviours and attitudes of more senior staff. It then becomes more difficult for some hcps to call out this behaviour and ‘go against the flow’.

As a patient, I’ve seen probably 50+ midwives and HVs during pregnancy and postnatally.
Out of these about 5 of them didn’t treat me/my infant with the care, professionalism and standards that are expected of them.
The vast majority were fine/good/bloody lifesavers who went above and beyond.

I’ve seen staff laughing loudly and chatting at full volume at 2am on an elderly ward. The culture on that shift obviously didn’t prioritise the sleep and well being of the vulnerable patients.

I’ve worked were an elderly man with dementia was receiving personal hygiene care and the staff left the door to the bathroom open exposing this poor man whilst they docked about throwing bubble foam at each other.

I obviously reported this but for the staff to act this was so blatantly shows that they felt comfortable that their working culture wouldn’t sanction their behaviour.

CounsellorTroi · 25/02/2022 10:05

I phoned a family relative - as I couldn’t get out of bed and my call button went unanswered I like most patients was vulnerable hence being in hospital - a nurse had rudely told me the next shift would get my medication as they were busy.

Family relative just happened to be a consultant in the hospital and working and she came pounding down the corridor - you should of seen their horror as they scattered back to their duties and said relative demanded all patients were given painkillers and checked. Relative who was a consultant made a complaint as well. Sometimes a bad one makes a bad two and that can create a bad culture in ANY profession but nurses like doctors are not prefect.

My DB’s partner is a consultant and when he was in having surgery she’d be popping in looking at his charts and asking if they’d done x or y. He got excellent care.

I was a student nurse for a while, at the time when it was on the job training rather than university based and it was seen very much as a separate profession from medicine and highly respected as such. I do wonder whether many people who told their careers officers they wanted to do nursing were told to aim for medicine instead but didn’t get the grades. So they are in their second choice of career. Just a thought.

Jedsnewstar · 25/02/2022 10:09

This happened with me. I had bled a lot and was everywhere and got told off for pressing the bell.!when you went to the station they were chatting and drinking tea l, ignoring everyone.