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.

I feel your pain. I had to stay on a ward after having my son because he had a heart murmur. I thought I was going to go insane. However it wasn't the staff but the woman next to me talking on her phone all night. I lost my shit and told her to stfu and surprisingly she did.

We need tripadvisor for hospital wards

Can anyone who works on a ward answer this please?
When other patients are behaving inappropriately, ie talking on their phones on loud speaker at anti social times, shouting to other patients instead of talking at normal volume, you know, just taking other patients into consideration,
Why don't the ward staff ask them to stop? It shouldn't fall on the other patients to pluck up the courage to do so, or put up with such inconsiderate behaviour, this does hinder healing by adding to the stress of being in the hospital.
I've just come out of hospital, and I'm astounded that staff don't say anything - why?

'Rolling thunder" 😂Thank you for this.

What utter nonsense! How the bloody hell did they come to that conclusion?!! Biased much.

Yes, yes we do and I'd love to read through the reviews.

My very Ill, very scared DM had this in 2020. The nurses would have music on and be dancing around, presumably to try to help the mood for all, but DM was being woken up for checks, exhausted, cold , other patients on phone calls day and night and without being allowed any visits for 9 days , we couldn’t speak up for her about the music and being cold , it made an awful situation just about as bad as it can get , I wish the staff could consider the ward as a quiet space when there are very sick people in their care 😢

Dalint you are clearly trying to deliberately wind up HCPs, then if they react, you act all shocked and pretend it proves your point that we aren't nice people/ aren't good at our jobs. Unfortunately it clearly worked with one HCP flying off the handle yesterday. The rest of us can see you for what you are, just give up please. You clearly have no respect for nurses despite your assertion that you often are in their care. Do you treat them as badly in person as you have on here? Because if you do and are constantly trying to wind them up, perhaps that is why your care isn't as kind as you would like. It is incredibly hard to maintain kindness towards someone being horrible to you.

Don’t they? Oh. I’ll be sure to mention that next time I see a doctor colleague reaching for a tourniquet.

Me: Sorry doctor, @Dalint on Mumsnet says doctors don’t do bloods. I’d better take over.
Doctor: Are you sure it’s within your remit, nurse? Sticking needles in people isn’t very motherly.
Me: Gosh you’re right. I’d best check with @Dalint.
Doctor: So sorry patient, looks like there’s going to be a delay.

Over to you @Dalint - who should take the patient’s blood??!

Rhaenys · Today 00:48
I’ve heard there have been studies that say that staying on an open ward is better for morale than a private room. Is it really though?!?

I’ve thankfully only needed to stay overnight once but had to stay in a double room with another patient. I found the lack of privacy difficult and having to be so vulnerable in front of a stranger, even though they were vulnerable themselves.

There was no morale involved with my DM she just wanted and badly needed to sleep , there was no energy to engage with anyone, then once problem sorted just wanted to get home .

Depends on the patient I guess. I’ve worked in elderly care before and some folk get very lonely in private rooms. I’ve often seen a lovely rapport build up between patients in a bay. I much preferred the privacy when I was an inpatient but you can’t assume the same is true for everyone.

YANBU. I had a nightmare after my 4yo had his 2nd operation, the young nurses (not sure if students or newly qualified but they were SO giddy) at the desk outside his room were all screeching with laughter and talking at the tops of their voices, highly inappropriate on the children's ward at night, or anytime! I honestly got so riled! I was obviously emotional and drained after his 6 hour op, and I just wanted to go and tell them to STFU but you feel like you can't as you may need their help, and they do a difficult job etc

Every time one came in to do his checks she crept in like a mouse and whispered! it really wound me up.

Doctors shouldn't be the ones to take bloods, its more appropriate for a nurse or a HCA with the appropriate sign offs to do it. As lots of wards have an inadequate number of staff able to do it yes it invariably falls upwards to doctors which is a waste of their time quite frankly. Not that doctors are above it, but the time they spend taking bloods could be much better spent- there's a reason good practice has it falling within the remit of others.

OP I do agree wards can be hell on earth at night, some is unavoidable and some is carelessness. I find a lot of the equipment is noisy AF just as its cheaper, we had someone donate soft closing bins after their stay as they said they didn't want others to have to listen to it all night! We do dim the lights and have quiet zones, only waking patients to do necessary obs and keeping other noise to a minimum. It does depend what's going on elsewhere though, if its all hands on deck for something then unfortunately trying to keep quiet isn't always top priority. If its general chat and music then you can make a complaint it will be addressed.

@mothernurse I can see why the elderly might want to be with others. I think for the vast majority of people though, being on a ward with others while sick or in pain and desperately needing rest is far from ideal.

Ugh, if it was someone on the same ward as me - unless a child- doing this I'd DEFINITELY tell them to STFU straight off. Massively twattish behaviour.

When I made the decision to go into healthcare, I considered the impact the shifts would have on my dc, I considered affordability as it was a significant drop in income, I considered the impact of burn out on me and my family. Did I consider the impact a pandemic and lockdowns (no childcare no school) would have on my mental and physical health? Weirdly, no it didn't factor into my decision making.

What a weird and irrelevant comment for this thread.

Exactly, I can't imagine anyone saw a lockdown coming or planned around well one day we might have one. Whilst as healthcare staff I'm sure we were all acutely aware that a pandemic is always a possibility, i doubt many of us predicted what a mess it would be.

Obviously not all will work nights and weekends, there are many different roles available. Some conversely, will only work nights. I agree that they pay isn't as low as it might initially sound, but having to choose a role with night shifts just to make ends meet isn't ideal, nights can take a terrible toll on many of us. Biologically, we really are not designed to work nights.

The other issue with the basic pay being so low is that you don't get the shift allowance part if off sick or on leave obviously, so those months will see a significant drop in income. Hence why most staff end up being forced into working a shift or two when on annual leave.

I have a relative who is a police officer, he doesn't get shift allowances but has a much higher basic pay for an equivalent level of job - so at least their pay is regular month to month and not dependent on shifts worked.

I do think it would be good to have a higher basic pay and do away with the shift allowances - but then it would be really hard to cover nights and weekends with bank staff as its the pay that attracts people to take those shifts.

Anyway, I digress - sorry!! Just pondering. And not meaning to pick on your post, it was a very thoughtful one - it just got me thinking is all!

I hope you are ok op, it must be very frightening when there still is no diagnosis. Horrible to be away from your dc too. Take care

Yes, hope they get to the bottom of it quickly OP and you're home soon.

@Cheeriyo oh please, it was a tongue-in-cheek post based on @Dalint’s previous comments. Who does bloods depends on the area you work in. My first nursing job was in an acute area where doctors routinely did bloods and cannulated patients when they were first admitted. Usually patients were only with us for a day or two so there was rarely any need for nurses to do it. Totally different where I work now and I do them daily.

WTAF? He put his hand around your throat, and you 'had a little chuckle about it.' ???

Ah a nurse, explains it all ;)

@Cheeriyo 😂😂 Seriously though, have you read her other comments? She has previously said that we nurses should stick to nursing and that patients just want nurses to mother them. She was outraged when she discovered that some nurses could prescribe medication - we should have a medical degree for that. Said she would take it up with the NHS! 😂 So I was genuinely surprised when she said doctors didn’t do bloods because I just can’t imagine her thinking a nurse capable!