3day hospitalisation and seeing NHS shortfalls

It is a huge problem for the NHS - wards are understaffed and underequipped. My DDs and I always made sure that during the day there was one of us there with my OH because we could see that without us ministering to his needs and alerting staff to things that were required, he would have dehydrated for a start - starved - and been sitting in his own excrement, or stuck on a bedpan with no-one having time to come and get him off. The staff were frantic - just frantic. They were doing their best, but they are not superhuman.

OH required 2 people to transfer plus a standing aid, of which there was only one on the ward (an orthopaedic ward) - trying to bring together the aid and 2 free staff at one and the same moment could take an hour - by which time he had wet himself of course.

Prior to his surgery (he had fallen and fractured his hip) he was left to dehydrate - nurses kept saying he was nil by mouth, and that a drip would go up in theatre - but the surgery kept being postponed - so he went at least 24 hours without a drink - we kept asking why the drip could not go up NOW. They thought it was a great idea (!) but still no-one came to do it.

It was utterly desperate on the ward - just desperate.

My sympathies Bea what a worry for you, hope the next hospital stay is better.

PinkCakes what a terrible shock ...a nightmare.Glad to hear that you were transferred to somewhere that looked after you, and are now doing well.

I think the level of care seems to be dependant on the hospital trust - I spent 6 weeks in hospital recently, after getting Covid the Pneumonia, was on a ventilator for 2 of those weeks, then woke up to find I couldn't move, swallow or speak - I'd had a stroke.

I was at Coventry hospital (although I'm from Nottingham), for 4 weeks. The "care" was shocking - left on a bedpan for an hour, then my catheter bypassed because it hadn't been emptied from the previous night. Given laxatives, despite being bedridden, unable to speak or move. My shoulder was injured (still waiting for treatment) when I was taken out of an MRI scan on my brain. Left in a soaking wet bed for 3 hours, despite me pressing the buzzer repeatedly. Left on a bed where the air mattress had gone flat, for 5 hours. It was truly awful there.

Transferred to Nottingham for the last 3 days, the difference was amazing - I had Physiotherapy, given a pressure cushion, commode, walking frame. I progressed fantastically well in a very short time.

Fennel I agree i don't think nurses will ever strike as it goes against their vocation - a job where they wanted to help others... altho i must admit, some of them seem to be a bit like prison wardens (the TV type) where they are clearly bullying people and have witnessed intimidation on dementia patients..just soo awful...

Had a relative in a and e last week and they report a similar experience. Not a busy time or day but staff rushed off their feet and obviously stressed. This can't go on, something will have to give. The problem is that the whole NHS needs reorganising to make it fit for purpose, but that's not a quick fix or a quick win. Who is going to start that?

Bea - my thoughts and feelings exactly after a short stay in hospital recently. Especially going to the toilet - I was confined to a wheelchair so managed to wheel myself there when no-one could come to help.
The only thing I can think of to help the staff is to release them from non-urgent resposibilities such as filling in forms.
And extra duties which have only been imposed because of fear of being sued.
Another issue is the disgusting offer of 1% pay increase. Nurses and doctors know they can't, don't want, to withdraw their services by striking.

Lemongrove .Having had 3 surgeries in the past 20 years at this same hospital am aware of staff shortages etc..but this latest experience has left me completely wiped out...would there be any point in commenting to PALS?
The bedpan situation is much worse-used my call button for the much elderly patient beside me but was ignored and then they had to change the whole bed for her..its so undignified that am dreading my next surgical procedure referral has now been accepted..I've always said your health is your wealth but am pretty dammed poor at moment...

It was the same over 16 years ago Bea my DD was admitted to hospital ( she was in there for over a month) and often transferred to wards in the middle of the night.I went in to visit every day and found she had vanished to a certain ward, where twice the staff on the new ward denied she was even there....until my DD yelled out to me!
Her sheets which needed changing badly were often not done, and one time I found the tall cupboard where hundreds of sheets were stored, and changed them myself.Bins were left overflowing for days on the ward and dust bunnies and bits of detritus were under beds.
Almost two years ago when DH was admitted as an emergency I noticed over the next week that things were so much better all round, including cleanliness and quality of food.
The Assessment Unit can always be chaotic as often a lot of usually older people happen to be brought into hospital at the same time.
I doubt that lack of another pillow is anything to do with Covid or lack of staff more like the message doesn’t get passed on.In the dim and distant past, nurses would have got you another pillow, now there are so many layers of staff and job delineations that you are lucky to get a bedpan when you need it ( am not joking!)

More than 40 years ago I was in hospital for bed rest prior to the birth of DS. The usual ward was being decorated and a group of us were in an annexe to the gyney ward.

In the middle of the night 3 ladies went into labour and I was sent by them to find help. There was NO-ONE to be found, not a nurse in sight anywhere. It was ages before anyone turned up, fortunately in time!

So I don't think that all the current problems are actually new, although they're certainly not good.

Bea65 until 2 years ago I lived in the West Midlands but now live in the north west. Have noticed a vast difference between health authorities. Here is so much better . More specialist hospitals. A&E care is superior to what I had in the West Midlands. Under 2 specialists here.

My brother is under Birmingham health authority he has AF supposed to have an ECG every 6 months but hasn't had one for 2 years.

I have recently been diagnosed with AF and in the last 2 weeks had 3 ECGs plus lots of other care.

My neurologist here gave me 2 tablets after having seizures for 32 years haven't had one in nearly 18 months.

Even with staff shortages the care here is excellent. I'm afraid it depends which health authority you are under the care you get.

My D is an oncology nurse. She is trying to do the work of 4 nurses due to a shortage. Some nurses from abroad left due to Brexit. She wonders how long she can carry on with so few nurses.

And hasn’t it always been so Bea it certainly was when my mum was in hospital about 12 years ago they were running around looking for pillows and blankets then and she didn’t get her daily meds because if she shook her head they took that as a refusal although she had alzehimers and no hearing at all, so she would have no idea what they were asking her, which was explained to them. She was not washed for the same reason, I washed her when I went in, in the evening and when Dad was in hospital more than 12 years ago he was moved a number of times in the middle of the night he was also kept nil by mouth for three days waiting for an endoscopy which was cancelled each day I had to go to the canteen in the evening and buy him a sandwich
However the nurses were lovely and so were the doctors very very kind and caring
I m really sad to hear you had such a bad time but I don’t think it was a one off