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

This issue was highlighted in the late 80s that by 2020 almost 40% of nurses would retire.
Was anything done about it?
No.
Also add in that there are so many more nursing roles away from wards and there you have it, a perfect storm.
Ward nursing is now a stepping stone to other jobs and people rarely stay for long.
So you either have those who for one reason or another don't progress in their careers or very junior staff.
Band 7 sisters usually move up after a few years.
Safer staffing has been an issue for years , highlighted in the Francis Report but still no legal minimum.

Having just returned from America and having had surgery in Canada and my ex-DH had surgery in France — you can get horrible experiences everywhere. I went i to septic shock postpartum after a c section on NHS. It was traumatic. I’d still take that over the entire American system.

I think you misinterpreted Social Services as a threat?
Social services provide Fast Track End of Life Care at home?
Hospice at Home and Community Nurses/ GP provide care also.
Did she perhaps think your DM had expressed a wish to die at home?
Sometimes parallel planning takes place in case someone stabilises and wants to go home.
It takes a phone call to cancel the care .
This is what happens so often on these threads, people assume or don't understand but immediately jump to the worst conclusions.

I have no idea why it wasn't given.
We have to account why meds aren't given as prescribed.
I really hope you get answers xx

Our local hospital has a crazy system for feeding patients. You have to choose your lunch and supper for the next day.,
You are given what the patient in your bed ordered the previous day.
I am a veggie but coped with my predecessor’s choice, but what happens to those with religious dietary requirements? Pork being served to Muslims?
Apart from that, the care on this cardiology ward was excellent.

That's why I've always worked in ICU where we have protected staffing.
I'm clinic based now, day time hours.

Every single NHS manager grade 8a and above should be made to do a clinical shift monthly, do the paperwork, do the manual work, deal with the admin, they might then see how bloody hard it is and instead of bringing out more pointless bloody policies they can actually improve things at ward level.

No they aren't given what someone else ordered, they would be offered the choices on the trolley.
If none that met their dietary requirements available then a suitable missed meal is ordered.

Please don't make excuses, she knew exactly what she was saying. I didn't take it as a threat although I'm sure that's how it was meant going by her tone of voice. If she was concerned about what where DM wanted to die then maybe she should have asked me. Why would anyone think they would be discharging a blind and immobile patient who was barely conscious and had heart and kidney failure within the next couple of days? Unfortunately for her my Mum had a lovely GP who made sure I knew what to expect.

The resolution is called funding the NHS properly so they can afford to provide quality food, quality care etc.

Funding doesn't change culture, poor leadership, bullying, people promoted beyond their capabilities

That is wild doing it the day before as a lot can change overnight, but we do similar as in submit orders in the morning for lunch and dinner. It's linked to the patients name but the system isn't overly joined up so it relies on someone knowing x has been discharged and someone else is in the bed. Will always get people who are new to the ward something suitable to eat though, there's always some hot food or do an array of cold stuff. Again it's down to budgets and logistics, can't speak for all but our hospital does amazing considering the time and financial constraints of feeding so many people. The choice is better than it ever was at least but again it varies so much!

Every single NHS manager grade 8a and above should be made to do a clinical shift monthly, do the paperwork, do the manual work, deal with the admin, they might then see how bloody hard it is and instead of bringing out more pointless bloody policies they can actually improve things at ward level

I've been watching Big Brother and Kerry is a stereotypical manager hah.

@ Littlemouseing
No they aren't given what someone else ordered, they would be offered the choices on the trolley.
If none that met their dietary requirements available then a suitable missed meal is ordered.

Please don’t tell me what should have happened, don’t try to refute my experience. There was no trolley with choices. There were only plated meals chosen by yesterday’s patients and distributed to their beds.

No option to order an alternative meal existed.

@SiousieSoo but what happens to those patients who don’t have anyone to speak for them or to help feed them?

@widowtwankywashroom doesn’t it? Funding means you can run leadership programmes, attract a better caliber of leadership/senior management/executive staff who have their pick and that surely improves leadership behaviours and culture.

Well I was referring to the scope of work that falls within the remit of the nursing staff. So maybe the HCAs are (or should be) responsible for ensuring that patients are fed?

Me too. I prefer to forego any other luxuries. Private health is definitely the answer.

Can I just point out that being a nurse is not being in an enclosed order? You don't take a vow of silence, and it's really weird the number of people who seem angry that medical staff might talk to each other or laugh.

But as a trust we can only offer the salary as per agenda for change.
All bad managers do is move around trusts.

I'm not making excuses at all, just offering an alternative views I have experience in this area.
It's pretty standard to offer EOL care at home , someone who can't for whatever reason do that wouldn't be reported, that's a very odd thing to think.
I think you are getting confused with safeguarding referrals.

@widowtwankywashroom agree re. agenda for change. More flexibility with executive pay though. It ultimately comes down to the leadership style the board creates and what culture they are trying to drive. Not great in so many trusts though. It’s tough in the NHS right now, worse than it ever was 😢

OP should complain as sounds like some poor staff behaviours on the ward like shouting and making noise at night.

I hate to say it but my Dear Dad had appalling care in a private ward so it is not necessarily any better. Having said that I will never get over the way my poor Mum was treated in an NHS hospital (over a number of admissions). I am still so angry about it 4 years later.

Missed meals are available in every hospital in the country.
It's NHS policy along with protected mealtimes .
As usual a thread full of utter made up nonsense .

@Littlemousesing, I experienced that too, admittedly it was twelve years ago, but it still happens now. DM was in and out of hospital before she died and frequently got food the previous patient had ordered for the first day or so.

I've heard so many similar stories. Close friend had a stroke and was treated appallingly, hospital filthy. Not unusual at all, which is terrifying actually. We are the poor man of Europe in terms of healthcare.

I'm permanently neutropenic and avoid hospitals as much as possible
Went to the doctors once, sat waiting for 20 mins and a woman announced she had chicken pox
Me "absolutely not" and got up, reception bundled her into a room and I've waited outside ever since
It's bad enough explaining why I'm neutropenic
Yes it's autoimmune, no I don't know why