No hospital bed

Once I was discharged after an operation and had to wait 6 hours to get my medication to take home with me because the labelling machine had broken down! I was bed blocking alright!
In the end, one of the nurses got so fed up, she said “Leave it to me!” and went down to the pharmacy, gave them a piece of her mind and came back with my prescription! Why can’t they just give you a prescription to take home and pick up from your local pharmacy?
This was a few years ago, but a couple of weeks ago, I was sent to the GP referral unit with loss of hearing, which ENT sorted out and then gave me a prescription for steroids, which they sent to the pharmacy electronically.
We went to have a coffee while the pharmacy was making it up, and when we arrived at the pharmacy about half an hour later, thinking it would be ready, they told us that they don’t actually start making up the prescription until you arrive in person at the pharmacy even though the prescription was sent electronically. If anyone in ENT had told us this, obviously, we would have checked in at the pharmacy before having a coffee. In the end we waited one and a half hours just to collect the prescription and missed our bus home!
There seems to be a big lack of common sense and communication going on in the NHS, which is easily avoidable.
I have plenty of experience of being looked after by foreign nurses, and have always found them to be charming and hard-working and have no complaints about them at all, Buster. What a sweeping statement!The NHS would collapse without them!

Standard practice to have to sometimes wait hours for treatment or meds, a bed, or to be seen, I think.
Because there are also lots of other people waiting..

I am hoping when you go to see her tomorrow she will be back in the ward recovering.

BusterTank you are wrong on so many points that I despair. There are “lazy” nurses - I have met them - but they are despised by their colleagues and usually “home grown”, and most of us are “immigrants” in part at least. And those Brits abroad in Europe have the same treatment as locals, they do not have to go “private”. My experience of recovery was that I was in my own bed, and my delays were about stabilising me, but I may have been lucky. And my anaesthetists were both “immigrants”, so were half the nurses and all the cleaning staff, mostly EU.....

marjgran ??

Buster you are completely wrong. Out of hospital yesterday, all staff both from here and abroad were lovely and I mean from top to bottom were professional, rushed off their feet but maintained the kindest manner possible. NO language problem. Sad to say recurrent heart problem but ambulance took over an hour to arrive. I phoned again as I was on my own and the line was busy, yes 999, and I got a recorded message to say I was in a queue. That nearly broke me. Ambulance couldn't put heating on and it was very cold in the small hours. I blame this and previous Conservative and coalition governments. On hold for a 999 call? Not the first time either. This should never happen.

About 18 months ago I went into hospital for day surgery, although I was told to bring an overnight bag because of the nature of the op I would be kept in overnight. After admission and pre op procedures someone from theatre came for me and I walked to operating theatre with him and climbed onto the operating table myself. That was an eye opener, as previous operations I had involved pre meds and being wheeled to theatre in my bed.
I awoke in the recovery ward in an actual bed. Whether I had been wheeled to recovery on a trolley and then transferred to a bed or if they had brought an actual bed to bring me back in I don't know. Everyone in recovery seemed to be in a proper bed. Around two hours later two nurses moved my bed to another area of the same recovery ward which was curtained off from where I previously was. A little while later the surgeon came to speak to me about my op, and then said unfortunately the ward you should be going to has no available beds so we have opened a temporary ward upstairs where you will be going to. This was a very large ward screened off for male and female areas, all having had day surgery of some description that day. We were looked after very well by all the staff and nothing was too much trouble.

As some one else said, recovery doesnt necessarily mean trolly.

There can be hospital beds in recovery

But in hospital speak "no bed" means no bed space on a ward. Not no actual bed.

Buster I totally disagree. Our hospital is in an area with a big immigrant population and has its share of immigrant staff. They come from all over the world, are perfectly fluent in English and are hard working, friendly and sympathetic. DH was never the easiest patient but they were unfailingly lovely with him.

Littleannie, I am so sorry to hear of your stepdaughter's experience. I do hope that her discomfort and distress is short-lived and that by morning she is settled in her bed on a ward. I feel for your frustration and sense of helplessness in this sort of situation - I have been there myself on behalf of my husband many times in the last year. for you and your stepdaughter.

There is some helpful advice amongst the posts in this thread, but I hope that the arguing and politicking between posters and occasional implicit criticism of the OP is not adding to her distress at this very stressful time.

*They're just overrun with people, I think.
Too many of us, too few beds.*

Yes, because the Tories have decimated our NHS.

Which hospital is it? It’s not necessary just bad management. Last thing she needs. Hope she recovers quick and gets home !

Well I think you've ALL got a flaming cheek complaining about this!

Well, I think you've all got a flaming cheek! Do YOU think you are more entitled than anyone else?
Sorry but it's got to be said, do you think the NHS should prioritize YOU? Would that not just give someone else a reason to complain?
Give the NHS a chance

Really bluebell , maybe if you have been on the receiving end of treatment from these foreign workers you would understand . Trying to dress a appendic scar witch had been there for 40 years , when the patient had been cut from hip to nip and needed that doing . Not seeing what she was doing was wrong causing stress to the patient and no faith in the Nhs . Leaving patients soaked in blood because it's coming to the end of there shift . I could keep going on the list is endless , so please don't tell me i talking rubbish , this happens everyday . As for people waiting longer after brexit is also fictional .

Given the choice, which would you take: having the op in good time but spend the post-op hours on a trolley after temporarily "losing" your bed; or an extra three months' wait for a guaranteed own bed, no trolley transition? I'd take the trolley.

Interesting when people who were not present are disputing the facts as stated by the op. There are of course good instances of excellent care. Sadly my experience over the last couple of decades have found good care the exception rather than the rule. People must speak up so that things can improve.

I am BLIND and so, therefore, I must use assistive technology in order to use the computer. Thank you Jananana it is nice to hear someone saying nice things about the service. All 4 of my kids work for NHS - 2 Paramedics and 2 Nurses, they all love it (they all joined the NHS because they wanted to help find a cure for my eye problems.
The ONLY discouraging part of their jobs is folk that whinge and whine They All do Their Best

GagaJo.... or it could be that the looney left labourites opened the door right up for any non contributors to access free healthcare whenever they choose!!!

You certainly have the right name gaga

Gustheguidedog, well done your kids. The NHS is under strain for many reasons ... I do hope your children stay safe.

GrannieAnnie2010 totally agree, what a lot of Whingy whiners on this post.

I have just had a hip replacement, and the staff were from many ethnic backgrounds, great nursing care, unit immaculate, couldn't fault any of it.

They All do Their Best

No they don’t. 26 years in the NHS and I can assure you that it’s just like any other public sector. Some are brilliant, some are average, some are not great all.

I find my find myself defending my self yet again . When you have been on the receiving end , with a family member crying on the phone . A grown man who shouldn't been out of bed because of the operation he had , left holding on a bed side locked for an hour . After asking ages for his catheter to be emptied it burst soaking the bed and floor . The only thing my husband could get to was his mobile which was on the cabinet . I was left feeling usless he was in London and I was in East Sussex . I rang the ward and asked to speak to the nurse in charge , it took 15mins for her to get to the phone . Only to be good my husband wasn't on her ward , which only has 15 beds . If the nurse in charge doesn't know her patients , what chance do you have . Then to be be should ask the nurse if he wants something . After explaining he has been left holding a bed side cabinet for an hour . Then for the nurse to try and put him back in a soaking wet bed . I rest my case and will not be defending myself anymore , for what I have to say .

Perhaps someone posting about the lack of language skills of foreign workers in the NHS should take a little more care of the language standards of her posts BusterTank- it's the pot calling the kettle black as my mum used to say.
As for the OP I'm not sure that the situation is being accurately described. I think understandably emotions have played a huge part. I hope things are better than described. I think seeing your children suffer is worse than your own pain. Good luck Litteannie