To stop nurse from giving me an Iv flush?

[EachandEveryone]

I don’t know maybe I was. I don’t gel with her anyway she’s a band 4 with no sense of personal space. This morning she woke me up with her face in mine it really made me jump. Them proceeded to
hrlp me sit up o am not a complete invalid and she had me in a hold right next to her bust. I literally shouted that police song Don’t Stamd so close to me. She’s been on am hour and now she’s been in 9 times. Jesus I have to
jsve a shower and it’s her I’ve asked for some omelet as well.

Sou picc line needed flushing she went off and drew something up and tried to flush I syopprd her straight away and said she wasn’t qualified to flush long lines and I don’t know what was in it. She said she’s qualified on her own country for years. I’m a nurse, the band five came in flushed it and said the four can flush as she’s qualified at home. Am o wrong then? They are all lovely and trying their best but I just thought I don’t know what I are putting on me and it needs to be done sterile.

i will have a think about the personal space thing as it’s a difficult one she could be horrible to me

Also a nurse, and band 4s i have worked with are not allowed to flush lines, any lines at all. They could cannulate but not flush at all, a qualified nurse, not NA had to flush after they inserted it. Her qualifications outside of the trust she is working in are irrelevent. If she, as a band 4, is not allowed to flush in the environment you are in, you were absolutely right to not let her.

And as for bands, all the wards where i have worked, and dotted around the hospital corridors, and some 6 foot tall signage at high traffic entry/exit foors, have massive signs up, showing uniforms, and their banding/role, so paitients know what job they are there to do. Thats across 2 different trusts.

I'm sorry OP, I don't know anything about hospital stuff but you're obviously feeling quite stressed about some of the staff. Is there not someone you can escalate to so you can feel safer?

Always protect your line, some people don’t understand the importance of that. I have stopped people when they haven’t accessed the line properly.

Its not entitled to expect people to work within the scope of their role and qualifications according to the policy of the place they are working only.

2 people don’t have to check

and in some places band 4’s can flush a picc

A band 4 employee isn't a nurse.

Most wards have a display board with different uniforms in my experience. But even so the OP is a nurse themselves so probably knows what the uniforms mean without asking/looking at the board?

I'm not in acute nursing for a few years now, but certainly when I was, band 4 couldn't do the long lines and neither could a 5 unless they had done extra training.

I also used to work with many amazing international nurses who had great skills but were not NMC registered in the UK so working below their level of training as a band 3 or 4.

They certainly weren't allowed to perform band 5 tasks just because they knew how. It defeats the point of the the registrations and professional accountability.

Why what?

why have I had a few appointments? None of your business!

why am I asking about the band? Because it’s there right at the start of op’s post. That this person is a band 4. How does she know that and what does it mean? Does the grading start at 0 or 1 and go up (to what?) in terms of qualifications and what they’re able to do or start at 10 or 100 and go down? Who knows? Not me that’s for sure.

I’m a 6 and in some places band 4’s can flush. Band 4’s in some places access piccs for blood samples so they need to flush

Same as in some places insulin for example us double signature but some places it isn’t.

unless we know the setting and their competencies we can’t comment

If she isn’t meant to flush lines - which her “qualified in her home country seems to confirm - then you were absolutely right not to let her.

If you knew the staff member was performing a proceedure, which flushing is, its putting something directly inside of the patient, and you knew they were not allowed to do that under local policy, would you let them do it? Knowing banding, or their job tiyle is irrelevent. The OP knew she was woking outside of her scope of practice, performing something that has significant risks attached to it given her current health. Thats literally the only point that matters heres.

I'm so sorry you have cancer.

Please don't shout songs in the nurses' faces. They are there to help you.

Banding is standard across the NHS. The theory is that all band 4, 5 ,6 etc would be paid on the same salary scale and with same skills and responsibilities.
Op is a nurse so will know what a band 4 is able to do. This should be the band 4 they are employed at not their previous role/qualifications. Eg a surgeon working at a band 4 (very unlikely) wouldnt perform surgery just because she can
Op is concerned that someone is doing a procedure they aren't qualified for which has implications

Sorry you are so unwell. Sometimes specialist knowledge is a blessing but not always. NHS job banding is not familiar to everyone, that's why they have the posters explaining uniforms and roles. As a nurse yourself you must know that it's very unlikely this nurse has time to spend with you, unless her job dictates it.

Absolutely not the same skills and competencies for the same bands! Not at all!

a nurse assessor won’t have the same skills as a tissue viability nurse or a nurse endsocopist or a specialist palliative care nurse or a community sister though they’re all band 6

I think you feel very vulnerable, understandably, and you have no confidence in this particular nurse @EachandEveryone.

If, at all possible, I'd have a conversation with her line manager. 🌸

Why are you asking? Why does it matter how the OP knows? Why are multiple people piling on a sick person who isn't feeling safe?

You’re not unreasonable to be cautious with the care of your picc line. And the constant fussing and getting too close for your comfort would aggravate me too. Have you got a family member who could have a quiet word with the sister in charge?

The picking about what bands can do in different places is totally irrelevant. The fact both the nurse in question and the other nurse have said she’s qualified in her home country absolutely confirms that she’s not meant to do it where the OP is.

The OP is absolutely justified in not allowing someone to access her line that isn’t meant to.

In some trusts a b4 will be allowed to flush a line with saline, depends on the Trust and their policies.
It will be done under a PGD.

When I was in (3 weeks) I was given a leaflet to show what the uniform colours meant, from senior nurse down to healthcare assistant (pale green) - and the only one who was ever snippy with me was the HCA.

Otherwise I have to say I could not fault any of them.

One senior male ward manager was Polish, and he told me that he’d first worked in the U.K. as cabin crew with Ryan Air, but had later returned to Poland for nurse training, and had then returned.

I'm finding this thread somewhat bewildering. One way or another it sounds as though you're having a terrible time @EachandEveryone diagnosis & treatment is hard going.

It seems unlikely that a B4 is permitted to flush a line but some hospitals are permitting it (saline not being a drug blah blah blah). In any event, I think you should raise it with the most senior Sister/Matron. Tell them your concerns - flushing a line, invading space etc. The nurse might be lonely but in this day & age she should be too busy to be acting as you describe.

Speak to someone senior & understand what is going on

According to the internet, whether a band 4 HCP can flush a PICC line or not is dependent on each NHS Trust. So, in some trusts, the nurse did what she was expected and allowed to do.

I read closet xenophobia here. She’s not British that doesn’t mean she’s not qualified. You are very ill, she’s doing her job and trying to be nice - people complain nurses ignore them whereas you are moaning that she’s paying attention to you. Please communicate clearly not to disturb you apart from when medically necessary to whoever is senior in the ward