Disgusting hospital

[Furyfurious]

I was discharged from hospital this week following surgery and a 5 night stay at an NHS hospital. I am absolutely traumatised. What I have seen and been exposed to was totally shocking. I will definitely be looking for a Private health care policy. The Nurses attitudes, patients attitudes poor (not all ) but a shambles. The smell of the ward, the food etc sorry but there needs to be resolution

I remember speaking to one of the (few) kind nurses when I stayed in hospital in 2017. She said she dreaded the day she'd need the hospital because she's seen just how patients are treated.

@Nepmarthiturn
the story from 10 years ago is quite different:
https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2014/jun/17/nhs-health

and the reason why the story is different now is quite clear
https://www.health.org.uk/news-and-comment/charts-and-infographics/how-does-uk-health-spending-compare-across-europe-over-the-past-decade#:~:text=In%20the%20UK%2C%2079.9%25%20of,per%20year%20in%20current%20terms.

That’s absolutely horrendous, i’m so sorry your mum had to go through that. Have they even given a basic apology yet? I feel the gaslighting (about the foot) is a common issue in the NHS and it would probably take less time and effort to just investigate patient concerns than constantly argue that they are making it up.

I have to wonder if part of the reason the UK is being ranked below other countries such as Spain is their preference of having family members come to help.

Yes I acknowledge not everyone will have someone to come and help, but many of us do, and the NHS is definitely forking out more money for me now because their care was so atrocious for my first c section and they wouldn’t let my husband stay.

This extends to caring for family members and loved ones once they leave hospital. In this country people often are working long hours just to make ends meet and cannot afford large homes to accommodate both logistically and time wise relatives that need some care once they're discharged. Not the fault of family members, but along with the social care crisis this means people are in hospital for longer than they need to be (which causes issues as beds are short but also it's proven to have negative physical and mental effects on patients especially the elderly). This isn't such an issue in some countries (it is not unique to us though). One of the biggest challenges of the NHS is actually the cuts to supporting services and other social and economic issues rather than just the NHS itself as it all has an effect.

I was recently in hospital where people were unable to get up and walk ( stroke) and the nursing staff didn’t come and take people to the loo and when they wet and soiled the bed, they were left to lie in it. We were regularly told that toiletting patients was a low priority.absolutely disgusting!!

This. The problems I had with my late husbands stay was just about poor management/attitude on that ward.

The next ward were wonderful.

Same hospital/same funding.😗

The NHS is failing too many patients, and, according to medics, it's failing them as well.

Its not all about funding - the whole thing needs sorting out.

DS2 was in hospital with Celulitis, a serious infection.

While I was with him, a nurse pressed the wall mounted antiseptic dispenser, rubbed her hands together and wiped them dry on her behind.

I contacted the infection control department, they asked if I knew which nurse it was.

’The ward sister’ said I.

’Oh God!’ was the reply.

DS2 invoked his employee’s medical insurance and got transferred to a private hospital.

My dad was in ICU in a London hospital after bowel surgery, he was due to be out of ICU on the Wednesday, I last spoke to him on the Tuesday night.

I rang Wednesday morning asking for an update on how he was doing only to be told 'Has no-one contacted you yet? Your dad took a turn for the worst in the early hours.' - we rushed down to the hospital where it turned out he'd had a stroke due to an air embolism - a pocket of air got into one of his tubes after not being changed correctly by the nurse.

He died 2 weeks later, he was only 58. I will never forgive the NHS. Not fit for purpose, the only reason people praise it is because it's 'free' - if it was a paid for service people would be up in arms about how awful it is.

There is so much to be said on this thread, culture plays a large part, poor management, the demographic of the patient ( yes this does play a part ) patients expectations, not understanding what is going on behind the scenes, reduced staffing at weekends, how we define what kind is, too many processes and not enough patient care.
I am no angel and don't like being described as one, will I be efficient, recognise deterioration, keep you alive overnight, get that cannula in if need be, fight on your behalf for a review, document my concerns about lack of updates, bet your bottom dollar I will, hold your hand if you're scared, yes, but do you know what after you have called me a fucking cunting bitch then am I going to be kind, no I am not!

Don't you think that is partly because it is such a litigious country. Too easy to blame someone and claim compensation. In fact I think the reason doctor's charges are so high in the US is to cover insurance.

I think abuse from patients towards healthcare staff is under reported and lots would be shocked. Whilst you understand that patients and relatives are scared, stressed, vulnerable whilst poorly and everything there is still no excuse for the behaviour of some people. Its vile but seen by many as part of the job and oh well. I think it's tricky both working in and being a user of NHS services as you know that the pressure, conditions and everything else is at breaking point and the vast majority of staff are doing their best and burning out in the process; but youre also aware that as a patient you should expect and receive a decent level of care so criticism when you're breaking your back working overdrive is part and parcel.

Lots see it as a homogenous entity as well when it's not.

It will also exclude anything and everything else if it can possibly wriggle out of it.....Remember, folks, this is insurance we are talking....Where the idea seems to be to take the money and then try to avoid paying out.

widowtwankywashroom · Today 10:56

There is so much to be said on this thread, culture plays a large part, poor management, the demographic of the patient ( yes this does play a part ) patients expectations, not understanding what is going on behind the scenes, reduced staffing at weekends, how we define what kind is, too many processes and not enough patient care.
I am no angel and don't like being described as one, will I be efficient, recognise deterioration, keep you alive overnight, get that cannula in if need be, fight on your behalf for a review, document my concerns about lack of updates, bet your bottom dollar I will, hold your hand if you're scared, yes, but do you know what after you have called me a fucking cunting bitch then am I going to be kind, no I am not!

I get what you're saying, widowtwanky, and I can assure you that I (and my elderly mum) were/are always very polite, undemanding and appreciative patients. I'm appalled at the way some feral members of the public treat Health Professionals.

But in my posts I'm complaining about genuine rudeness, gratuitous nastiness and borderline neglect. I'm a teacher so I can recognise stressed and overworked staff, but on these occasions the people (never quite sure who's a nurse, and who's some other designation nowadays - it might help for this to be clearer through uniforms etc) were NOT under pressure or overworked. I was cross precisely because they were sitting around (feet up in some cases) at the Nurses' Station guffawing and gossiping while patients' cries went unheard. And they got nasty when approached for help, because they knew they'd been caught being unprofessional. What was shocking was the sense that they'd marked your card...and made life very hard for anyone who dared call them out.

I've been in very busy hospital scenarios A and E etc, and that's not what I'm moaning about. I guess the problem is that geriatrics is a very unglamorous side of the nursing profession and (as opposed to paediatrics) is not exactly a nurse's first choice of location. Therefore I'm guessing it's harder to recruit, and the bar may be lower??? Only a guess - but I'm just trying to understand why some of the most unpleasant and least kind nurses I've experienced were the ones working with some of the most vulnerable people.

As in my other posts, I want to stress that I've encountered extremely professional nurses at Gt Ormond Street, Royal Marsden, St Helen's Hosp and St Alban's Hosp, to name a few. I know it's not universal.

I have a really rare condition and I can go into a crisis and die. It’s life threatening

there’s a simple one drug treatment and that’s all it takes.

they’ve not allowed me to have the one medicine. I can have opioids. But not the one drug that isn’t an opioid or addictive at all

To be clear, neither I nor my family have ever abused NHS staff in any way.

No public service personnel should have to put up with abuse.

It's not my way - I have complained formally, this time, but I've done it politely and coherently.

No one is really expecting doctors and nurses to be "saints" - I think we all know better than that.

But, I do expect professionalism, courtesy and for my relatives to be well cared for - especially where pain relief is concerned.

My late DHs experience wasn't about lack of staff, or lack of money.

I don't want money, I just want an explanation, and hopefully to improve patient care, on that ward.

@Zebedee55 But, I do expect professionalism, courtesy and for my relatives to be well cared for - especially where pain relief is concerned.

That is the bare minimum that anyone should expect. However when it comes to pain relief there is only so much a nurse can do, we can only give what is legally prescribed, I cannot give what is not on the record prescription sheet.

I work in a clinic so the Dr will see the pt say yes you're in pain, I'll prescribe something, comes into the office, there is no computer for them to actually use to order the meds, they go back to their office, on the way they get called to review a patient, then another one, then an emergency, eventually they get back to the ward to sit down and actually do what they promised my patient 3 hours ago, but in the meantime I haven't actually been able to do anything.

I think a big problem in nursing, is staff are promoted too early and too quickly into their career, newly qualifieds crave a band 6 sisters post and therefore go for them on wards that have a high turnover such as elderly medicine or complex care wards, they are young, naive and don't have the skills, experience or confidence to tackle some very intrinsic bad practices

I also think that on heavier wards, stroke, complex care, elderly care, there should be a higher nurse to patient ratio, the work is hard, back breaking and its known they are hard wards to work on, would I work on one, not for all the tea in China

Yes but something has to have actually gone wrong to win compensation. Insurance companies don't just roll over and pay up. They fight for every penny.

Don't you think that is partly because it is such a litigious country. Too easy to blame someone and claim compensation.

Have you ever tried to take action against the NHS for clinical negligence? Most personal injury cases are done on a no win no fee basis. Lawyers cannot afford to do many cases and lose. They are not trigger happy. The lawyer has to think, the client has a good chance of winning before they take the case on - so there must be reasonable evidence the client has suffered harm?

As a friend of ours, a lawyer says “People sue the NHS for negligence, because they cannot rely on the welfare state to look after them - provide the physiotherapy, OT, etc they might need for rehab; and benefits to support them, maybe for the rest of their life!”

It was prescribed by the doctor.🙄But, not given.

I think this has a lot to do with it. I also had the problem of a junior doctor, pretending to be a consultant.😗

But, I'm letting the hospital sort all this out. It was chaos.🙁

When DM was in hospital she mainly had good care. The doctors and nurses in A&E were amazing but when she was moved onto a ward it was the only time I have wanted to be abusive to a doctor (I obviously wasn't). DM was barely conscious and the bitch of a doctor started telling me she was going to be discharging her by the end of the week and that I would be able to care for her at home. DM was blind, struggled to walk and had heart and kidney failure. It was obvious to anyone, apart from the stupid doctor, that it was unlikely she was going home at all. I had to ask her to move aware from Mum's earshot as I didn't know what she could and couldn't hear at that stage and explain to her that no, I wouldn't be looking after her. She looked at me as though I was something nasty that she'd trodden in and told me in that case she would have to get social services involved. I just looked at her and said 'you do that' and went back to Mum. Luckily Mum's GP had warned me this would happen and told me to stand my ground as she needed hospital care.

Mum was moved to a much better ward the next day and I got a phone call from the loveliest doctor telling me that DM was dying and could I get to the hospital. From then on her care was fantastic. She was only on that ward for 3 days until she died but I'm so glad she'd been moved.

Not entirely sure whether you want a biscuit for this, or for us all to clap your ability to pay for private medicine - well done, take the aforementioned sweetmeat. You presumably know why this is the case, but I assume in all reality you probably blame "lazy" doctors and nurses