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.

NHS nurse here. I wrote a paper about how dreadful we are at letting our patients sleep (leading to worse outcomes). I also run round saying “shhhhh night voices please”. Sorry about our noise, get well soon.

Very interesting thread and I have been reading it all - including the bits where it went very nasty and I was mostly concerned that MN would pull it - but thankfully it got back on track.

My hospital experiences are irrelevant as thankfully I haven't been for over 20 years. The last was for a CS birth and I thought maybe the difference in approach was due to it being maternity rather than surgical.

But there is no way the Ward Sister, nor any of the Ward Staff - SENs, SRNs, Porters, Caterers and the Ward Domestics (who not only kept the Ward spotless but brought us cups of tea twice a day) would have behaved in the ways many have described here.

I was in for a month once and came across only one unkind nurse who when I screamed after she yanked my abdominal tubes brought the Sister running and that Nurse never dealt with me again.

Because they are selfish and thoughtless I actually did think this when I was on the postnatal ward with each of my babies. The staff were far noisier than the babies. It was absolute hell. The midwives were having full-volume social chats metres away from women trying desperately to get a bit of sleep. I was shocked at the lack of consideration.

NHS nurse here. I wrote a paper about how dreadful we are at letting our patients sleep (leading to worse outcomes). I also run round saying “shhhhh night voices please”. Sorry about our noise, get well soon.

Brilliant!

I actually shouted at the cleaners at 4am when I was in after my cesarean as they were chatting about how many steps they'd done that shift! No need for it at all! Bad enough being woken for observations and other patients coming in without the unnecessary disturbances too. YANBU

I hate being in hospital 😫 I've got an operation coming up soon too. My only proper experience is the hell on earth that is the post natal ward - twice. I came out feeling absolutely murderous - all the visitors, some of the other patients were really selfish and inconsiderate, it was just the worst 48 hours of my life, and being the last one off my ward to leave watching them all go home with their babies was galling. Night two after ds2 was born I literally had zero hours zero minutes and 0 seconds sleep. I hated every single second.

Being woken for observations is essential. However loud talking at night is not so with you there. Do you were right to give out to the cleaners.

Hey I had no sleep either so with you there. As I said on another post interventions were necessary so lack of sleep a small price to pay for my babys life.

Just spent 5days in hospital and the noise was hell. Two porters moved me at 1030 I whispered and he informed me that I didnt need to, i replied with a whisper, sick patients! night time! I think I do. My brother brought me earplugs, dont go to hospital without them. It's like trying to sleep in an airport.

I'm waiting for a test. There's something wrong with me inside but I feel fine really.
Plenty of tea though so I'm alright, and the staff are great.

I presumed it was for me...
This thread has become a bun fight. I've written some heartfelt words about the staff here and people don't rtft so it just descends into chaos.

Its become quiet chaotic. Lots of strong opinions and aggression. Some I suspect are just a nurse bashing anyway just like teachers. No need for it at all. Too many posters getting intense. Hope your experiences in the NHS going forward are good.

@ICaughtTonsillitisFromAFriendsKid I went on a bit of a rant at one point. Just wanted to say it wasn’t aimed at you! I hope you manage to get some rest soon!

NHS worker here - we have to keep the curtains open around the beds so we can check on all patients at night, and obs done on a sleeping patient are not accurate - I hate waking you for the 2am set but we do need you awake and sitting up to get an accurate bp reading. Sorry you’re in hospital, hope you’re home soon and getting a decent nights sleep.

An ITU nurse was quoted on Panorama as saying “calling us heroes makes it ok when we die”. That’s what the clapping was about. Wages aside, during the pandemic I’d have settled for decent PPE.

American nurses are the same. They keep coming into your room to check your vitals too often, all night long. It's exhausting. The worse time I had was after an operation to fix my crushed bones after an accident. My room was near the nurses station and the night shift nurses were screaming with laughter all night long. I complained and said I was going to report them. They looked scared and apologized.

If your vitals need to be taken they need doing, you have nothing to complain about that.

Years ago I had to stay in hospital overnight because I was due an operation the next day on a very badly broken arm.
At home at nighttime my bedroom is silent & pitch black.
I got a friend to bring me earplugs & an eye mask otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to sleep with all the comings & goings & lights & noise on the ward.🙄

I have always thought this. I’ve been in hospital a few times overnight and it’s Always the same. X

Crikey you’ve spent some time on that! We don’t all work nights and weekends. It’s a while since I’ve done them so I couldn’t tell you what the current pay rates are. You have a point but I don’t think nurses should have to rely on anti social hours allowance to make a decent wage. Personally I would take more staff over a pay rise but I’m in a senior role with a husband who out earns me. Very different to a band 5 who is the main earner with a family to support (who possibly doesn’t do so many nights because it’s really hard to find childcare!). As you say, the staff we need to fill the gaps don’t exist so I think the least the government could do is pay enough that nurses aren’t worried about putting food on the table.

@Augend23 On my wage when I was a ward nurse and had two kids in nursery it was barely worth me working after we had paid for childcare. I only did it to keep my registration so I’d still have a career once they were older.

This is the same with teaching

I feel your pain. I remember staying on the children’s ward with my poorly newborn for a week and every night the staff seemed to gather outside my room numerous times and would chat away loudly keeping me and my baby awake all night.
I also remember two lovely nurses bursting in my room at 8 o clock in the morning while I was in bed attempting to get some rest after being up the whole night before with an unwell newborn baby, noisy staff and was recovering from a bad labour and them opening my curtains and telling me I had to move my suitcase off the floor as it was a fire hazard and then leaving my room without even bothering to close my door behind them

I went in a private hospital with single rooms for 2 nights. The night staff come in at 9.30, close the curtains and open your door then rattle round the corridors. Then they come in at 5.30am and open the curtains and take your temperature. The the consultant came in at 7 am and tried to make small talk while I was having breakfast.

It is probably the same everywhere 🤷‍♀️

Doctors don't take bloods (unless it's me and the poor fuckers are called in)