Sanitary products in hospitals

Surely sanitary protection is on a par with toilet paper, paper knickers and incontinence pads and should be provided if needed when in hospital?

I can't imagine many women would deliberately only use hospital SP to avoid supplying their own, rather than being caught out, can't afford, or have no-one to fetch them. Sometimes you have to do things for the greater good rather than fuss about the few who would take the p*ss.

Most women have their favourite brands and wouldn't voluntarily wear those bulky Kotex towels that used to be supplied, or ill-fitting pull-up incontinence pants.

I can't believe some people on here - so mean and petty.

There already are bulky incontinence pads. What people mean when they say "no SP" is no slimline pads or tampons.

Bulky bein BULKY not kotex padded small pads.

Esspee (Imagine a man happily picking up Tampons in the supermarket)

Esspee, I brought up my son to do this.... why not? He knew the sizes my daughter and I used, and showed no embarrassment whatsoever. It's not the last century when periods were something to be ashamed of.

Many years ago, as a schoolboy and reading Shakespeare at school, he was the only one in his class who knew what a wet-nurse was, and not only explained it to the class but said that "his Mum had said that breastfeeding was best." I felt proud when his English teacher told me how unembarrassed he was to say this at an age when other children might be sniggering.

Yes Sparklefizz my husband has no problem shopping for sanitary products. I think he may struggle a bit if he had to discuss the pros and cons of different types.

There should be sanitary protection available in hospital if it is an unexpected situation. I was given a small plastic bag with a cheap toothbrush, paste, flannel when I found myself in hospital overnight as an emergency.

But if it is a planned admission, I think it is reasonable to bring in sanitary protection oneself; like the toorhbrush.

My dear son-IL bought my DD some tampons in France from a corner shop - he does not speak French - I would have loved to have seen him demonstrating what they were!

Both my father and my husband have bought san pro if they were the ones doing the "big shop" so long as they were shown the packet so knew which ones to get. I wouldnt send a man (or a woman) with vague instructions asking them to pick the right ones, but why wouldnt they buy them?

DH also bought what felt like endless amounts of maternity pads for me

My DH had no worries buying tampons or towels for me or our 2 DDs..

An emergency supply would seem sensible, but dishing out ad lib would seem a silly. Apart from anything else, wouldn't most women prefer their own type/brand?

I can see there might be cases where a woman forgot to bring any, or it was an emergency admission - and she might not have any family or friends to buy and bring.
Not everyone has family or friends close enough to ask, or who'd be willing.

Different scenario but I'm reminded of when my aunt died in her care home, and staff asked us to,leave all her clothes, including old, faded nighties, etc., since they had residents with hardly any money and no relatives or friends to buy them anything.

I would have no patience with a man who was too embarrassed to buy tampons or towels for his partner or daughter.

^sodapop Mon 04-Mar-19 08:35:38
Yes Sparklefizz my husband has no problem shopping for sanitary products. I think he may struggle a bit if he had to discuss the pros and cons of different types.^

[grin} sodapop

Gynaecology ward in early 50s all patients got sanitary towels as required. Of course they did! How can it be decided whether or not a woman in any ward has a medical or a social need for sanitary towels?

There is no real separation of medical and social need. Every ward should stock basic nightshirts, pants, shrouds, operation socks (if they still use them) terry towels, pillow cases, sheets of several sorts, incontinence pads, spare blankets, and so on.
Some patients have no visitors to supply these basic linen cupboard things, and it is not right that nurses should have to pay for them.

A locked individual sheet contraption had to be installed in the surgery I worked in as the toilet rolls kept being nicked! Can imagine people taking handfuls of S.T.s if they were that freely available and probably not always those in need.

My WI have committed to supplying protection in some local schools. I bought 3 packs of Lidl’s for the price of one brand name pack.

My OH doesn’t have a problem buying sanitary towels etc. Though as already said, he does need to be shown exactly what is required.

Yes, it's not unreasonable for such products to be made available in hospitals but I very much suspect that this will be yet another opportunity for manufacturers to cream money off the NHS for supply of products!

As a "Tena lady" I would sincerely hope that in an emergency admission to hospital there would be pads supplied. I always carry one or two spares with me but they are far too bulky to carry any more around.

My DH would never have consented to buying 'women's thingies' far too embarrassed. So much so that I had to buy condoms for him until I went on the pill. I knew that some of his mates used to swagger into Boots and buy quantities of condoms for sheer bravado. I also knew that they had no opportunity to actually use them

Anyone else forced in to buying their OH or Boyfriend's "protection"?

Men are not supplied with razors - I can't recall this ever happening in my fairly long career as a nurse. Men have always been expected to bring their own. Hospitals have some disposable razors in stock, but they are not for the male patients to use routinely.

Same with women's sanitary products - hospitals have a basic supply of pads but they are not anything special , just for emergencies . Most ladies bring their own - I certainly wouldn't expect a hospital to supply pads when I'm capable of bringing my own.

I am lucky I was able to buy my own when I was older. As a teenager it was a nightmare.
Sanitary products are essential for females. All should be supplied free and not bulky horrible ones. Say an average number per day for seven days. Any more needed perhaps they can then buy.
Razors are not essential. Sanitary towels are.
Food in hospital should only be contributed to if it is meanstested and meals are improved. Sorry if that offends anyone but some meals served are not appetising..

Would be a waste of money time and lives to start charging for food. People wont heal/recover if they are skimping on their food to avoid a bill!

Razers ARE necessary, but not for vanity reasons.

Tampons should not be provided for inpatients for safety reasons

Razers ARE necessary, but not for vanity reasons.

Not sure what you mean notanan2. Men can cope without razors. Females can't without STs.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/03/03/hospitals-will-supply-free-tampons-sanitary-towels-inpatients/

This is the story behind the new policy being brought in. The BMA carried out research into the issue and found wide spread variations in practice between trusts. They discovered that in most trusts SP cannot easily be bought on site and as other posters have pointed out, women can be an emergency admission and not be prepared or stress/illness may affect a woman’s cycle. Hospital stays are in general very short these days and given the large number of postmenopausal patients, the cost of bringing fairness into this issue is tiny ( the article says £120k a year). Additionally what are the real costs of the wards selling SP ( cash handling etc) or as in the awful case upthread, a poor woman has to use toilet paper and then potentially bleeds on the ward floor, over her gown, sheets, blanket etc. Apart from the cleaning costs, the issue of dignity should be paramount.

As for charging for hospital food - hands up those who’ve had relatives in hospital and made a profit during their stay by not having to feed them?

It's one of those things that has gradually been discontinued with no one seemingly noticing.
If you are rushed in, as you often are, you really don't have time even to think of packing a bag, let alone sanitary products!
When I was in hospital with a bleeding stomach ulcer, I was actually given the option of wearing a hospital gown or my own nightie. I was also asked if I needed any other personal items. Even though my son brought in a toiletries bag for me, for the first few days, I was washed with their wipes that suds up when put in water - wish I hadn't because they are so drying that it took me weeks to get my facial skin back to normal !
I think that many female hospital wards will have the basics if you ask, but if it means that the CEO has to forgo the free parking, the ground floor and reception area of the hospital has to miss out on being tarted up every 3 years, while the ward curtains are nearly see -through, I can't see it happening!

Well it is going to happen - the article makes it clear. At my local hospital all staff and I mean all pay for a parking permit to use the staff car park.

I won't be popular for saying this but I actually don't see why staff can't pay for parking. When I worked in the city centre I had to pay for parking ( and I didn't earn a lot ). The only carpark I could afford was a 15 minute walk from the office. Most people I know have to pay. However charging patients I feel is wrong.