Why don't nhs night staff want you to sleep?

[ICaughtTonsillitisFromAFriendsKid]

Sleep is a great healer.
So why is everything done to keep ward patients awake all night? (Well it feels that way)

In the day the wonderful staff are very kind, but overnight, why no whispering, at all? Not even stage whispering? I've just staggered out of bed trying not to rip out my cathetera and canula to pull the bible sheet curtain round a bit, but everyone else is left with curtains pushed back to the walls.

Everyone is so kind and happy to help, I don't even want to say anything, but I'm just exhausted, as are all of these very poorly ladies.

It seems the doctors are not too bad at whispering, I must concede.

Important actually that they're correct first time round as patients go unconscious..............

It’s hell staying in hospital overnight. I’ve done it after having my babies and also staying in with sick kids. Never had a wink of sleep. I also worked as a nurse on nights for many years and there were constant admissions with trolleys going up and down the ward, alarms bleeping etc. Very difficult to maintain peace and quiet. I dread getting so sick that I require admission. Lack of sleep does not aid recovery as we know.

“Just leave”

This is such a bizarre thing to say. She’s clearly not in there for a laugh!

The OP has not complained non stop and has been very praising of the good care she has received.

The most bizarre checking of everything I've ever seen done was getting a blood transfusion. They scan your arm band, two nurses have to input their names to sign off on it, then they scan the blood and the nurses again, both have to sign off (electronically and physically) on this thing and a doctor is present and only THEN do they call the 4th dude who authorises the infusion after triple checking everything.

It's a bit like that with babies too. When my baby was wheeled from one ward to another, two nurses had to accompany the baby and the cot alarm needed to be disarmed leaving the ward and another alarm put on, on the new ward.

I ignore people like that. Clearly the woman isn't in there for a holiday.

@Dalint nice to see you can actually appreciate nurses and not just paramedics

Being in hospital for long stretches is tough. I see a few posters have said you’d sleep through it if that unwell which is just a joke. I wish! I often can’t have sleeping tablets because I’m being treated for my lung disease and they won’t risk further respiratory compromise.

As a whole, I’ve received pretty excellent care and I’m glad I’ve not really felt any need to complain about any of my inpatient stays.

It’s rarely the individual HCPs but there can be a culture on certain wards that sleep doesn’t appear to be an important factor in recovery. On the other hand, some wards are fucking awesome. They turn lights off, keep the noise down and obviously deliver medical care which may be at at a louder volume but that’s not the problem. It’s the general social chit chat and clattering around that is bothersome to patients. I would never ever dare dream of complaining about the noise from a medic delivering IV medication or a confused person calling out. That’s to be expected and you might be disturbed by that. I don’t need to hear any HCP or hospital worker having a loud chat about love island at 3 am. I do enjoy love island but not at 3 am!

I appreciate kind nurses.

What's the alternative lax checks which can cause patients harm?

@Dalint and I appreciate patients who don't aCr like cunts

Sorry @Dalint I appreciate patients who aren't like you or @Danceswithkids who act like the whole world is there to serve you and act like cunts when dementia patients are struggling or complain about not getting a drink when I'm doing cpr

How does this asking work if the patient is unconscious, has dementia, off their rocker on pain meds, intubated etc.

There were times I would have told staff I was Queen of Sheba if asked for the 20th time in a day

So glad my trust went digital. They just come scan a band, check their computer and cross check with what is written on my bands.

I’m with you, OP. Whilst the staff do a sterling job, it’s properly hard to sleep through someone’s air bed failing and playing a constant alarm ALL THE BLOODY TIME (nobody on night shift knew how to fix it, I told them how)

Doctors coming to ask if you’re allergic to Lycra at 4am because he’s just finished operating and is doing you the next day is somewhat concerning.

Being woken every hour for blood pressure/temperature is a pain (I wasn’t at risk of copping it)

The lady next to me needing laxatives (poor love, it can’t have been nice for her!) then being unable to hold it and letting rip all over the floor was AWFUL for her (but also us)

I know the nurses need to see you so you can’t have the curtains closed, but omg, visiting time was zero fun with people staring and no escape and being physically unable to close them myself was frustrating.

My sleep pattern is fucked and that was almost 10 years ago, I’ve never been able to sleep normally since. Still, I’m sodding lucky to be here, I’m stupidly lucky to have a resource like the NHS and I’m allowed to moan like hell about the lack of sleep while in the Royal Free, but omg, they were FABULOUS, although using DPD to transfer me struck me as somewhat odd.

Brigante you've made me think of something for which I think I am the most grateful, and this ties into what @Dalint was saying about mothering behaviour in nursing.

You can poop all over the bed, wee all over the floor, vomit and bleed and faint and everything, and the hcps, preceptees, nurses, and all of them will rush forward and help you to regain your dignity. They will clean up your body parts with gentleness. They will insert a catheter without blinking at your choice of pube haircut or not. They passed no comment on my mumtum. These people you've never met are not fazed by the fallibility of the human condition and when you need it, they really do mother you - the ones I've had at least; surely there are instances of failures in this universal skill, but it's been pretty good in my experience and for that I am grateful and I think that if a nurse can make you feel ok about having messed yourself up in some way, they are doing a good job.

Which is exactly what the post says-it’s not 1am. Jesus.

Only if they mother her. The ones that display any clinical skills are just wannabe doctors.

Not bizarre at all. Checkings part of practicing safely. I’d much rather that than they make a mistake thats life threatening.

You suck it up and say “that’s a bit shit - oh well”. And never vote Tory.

@allabouttheviews too true!

@ICaughtTonsillitisFromAFriendsKid are you quite old? It's only the older patients that need mothering in my experience

I come on a thread about patients not being able to sleep in hospital. I post one comment listing my experiences of not being able to sleep in hospital. Then I get accused of acting like a cunt? How exactly? By viciously not sleeping? That's literally the only 'action' that I described. Everything else is your very disturbed fantasy.

Have you tried reading what I actually wrote?

I didn't post that my husband was concerned for my physical health because of a dementia patient (that makes no sense whatsoever??!). I posted my husband was concerned about my health for what I was in hospital for, but the lack of sleep in hospital meant I was desperate to get home whether it was safe for me or not.

Where have I said I have no respect for the staff? Hint - I didn't, you made that up. You also made up me wanting dementia patients sedated or dead. I also did not ask for her to be moved. Why are you making up all these easily disproven lies?

They weren't checking my bloods to see if I was septic (what an incredibly weird lie). I did not say the dementia patient was upsetting me. I didn't mention lights at all (more lies).

I'm not offended by you because your attacks are not based in any way on what happened or what I posted.

I have no idea if the nurses thought I was 'an entitled cunt' for not being able to sleep in hospital. They are entitled to their thoughts but it's not something I had any control of.

You have no idea about anything, much less me, as your posts are making clear.

I couldn't get out of bed for anything at all and only asked for things I needed (you must be aware that not all patients can get out of bed?). I've never 'whinged' about being in hospital, though I can't imagine anyone finds serious illness a happy fun time!

I don't even understand what your line about needing attention to pick up a baby is supposed to mean? Everytime I've been in postnatal they've put the cot next to the bed so no help needed to pick up my child.

And I'm 'the epitome of entitled cunty patient' when literally all you know about me is that I couldn't sleep when I was in hospital.

I certainly would pay for private if I could afford it to help resources stretch to those that can't.