Attending hospital with flu!

I cancelled a dentist appointment this week as I've been coughing and sneezing this week. The last time I went they had signs up not to enter with any symptoms. These days it seems common curtesy to be extra careful.

He should be wearing a mask but then I think you should too. I’m vulnerable and have started wearing them again. I’ve had this awful cold/ flu for seven weeks. Coughing, chills, no appetite, so unbelievably tired- I fell asleep with food in my mouth!!

Here's another side to the story. Five years ago, almost to the day, I had recently had my last chemo before surgery and I was asked to attend the chemo support unit on a Friday "to have my bloods done". I felt dreadful, but assumed it was the accumulated rounds of gruelling chemo. I told the nurse how I was feeling as part of the 'tick box' form she had to fill in, and I had a high temperature. She swabbed my nose and throat since the "Australian flu was doing the rounds in the hospital". I was sitting around with all the other patients at various stages of their cancer treatment. After 2 hours waiting for results which didn't appear, I was told to come back after the weekend "For more bloods". Feeling a bit better by this time, I dragged myself on Tuesday as instructed, told the receptionist I had been swabbed, but she said since I'd been told to attend, I should talk to the nurse "about any concerns." I waited an hour in the crowded ward for the Chemo nurse to get to me. When she did finally get to me and looked at my notes, she dashed off and grabbed a mask, put it on me and said: "You've got the Ossie flu!" I asked why they hadn't phoned me and put me off coming. She said: "There's no staff to read notes in between appointments". Basically, I concluded that they didn't care! I could have unwittingly infected a dozen or more people. I was appalled. The surgery was due the following week in another hospital. I phoned and told them I had tested positive for Ossie flu. They told me just to come in anyway, "Because you're on your last day for your target for surgery". I don't suppose I was infectious by then, and I told all the clinicians I met, but they did not bat an eyelid! So, I'm grateful that the chemo and the surgery worked for me, but I concluded that I was just a unit being processed. Nobody was prepared to make a common sense decision which interfered with the 'performance targets'. The NHS was broken a long time ago - absolutely shocking!

Went to the GP. The nurse who was taking my blood and that of many other vulnerable adults was wearing a mask BUT was coughing very often and said she had a slight temp. I told her she shouldn’t be at work, she said it would let too many patients down and had a full appointment schedule for the day.
You couldn’t make this up!
I returned two weeks later to get more blood tests and the nurse had herself been in hosp and was again back in the GP surgery taking blood from older vulnerable adults. I couldn’t believe what was happening. Just nonsense that could kill or contaminate very vulnerable heart patients.

It surprises me he was allowed to attend. In Denmark, hospitals still stress that you are not to keep and appointment, but to ring and cancel it if you have a cold, cough or temperature.

I do not understand why you did not ask the nurse to let you sit somewhere else, Dee, nor why you have not complained to the consultant in charge of the dept.

Awful and very surprised that he was not required to wear a mask in the hospital. I’ve had many outpatient appointments and consultations over the last year and had to wear a mask at all times, the only times I could remove it was in my own hospital room and when being scanned. All staff etc wore masks at all times.

Why were folk not wearing masks? It is still a requirement where I live.

Oldbat1.
Where is it you live?
I live in the SE of England and most don’t wear masks now. In London when I’ve visited recently, more but not many were wearing masks. Surgeries ask patients to wear a mask but often there’s no hand sanitiser plus doors and windows closed or occasionally if mentioned, one window so slightly open. It’s a joke. BUT try to get a F2F with the GP it’s impossible for many weeks. The GPs in our surgery are all part time but all have other jobs most in the private sector or other surgeries. Their salaries are good but they appear greedy.

i would raise concerns and I also would have asked to be moved away! masks are worn on entering our hospital.

I certainly would not be near anyone coughing and sneezing.
you are told to stay away from our doctors and hospital if you have a cold

Anyone stopped to think he may be exempt from mask wearing?

I am exempt, but wear one in hosp settings for a long as I can bear it.
If he was exempt and had an infection, he should have been isolated from those patients, who were immunocompromised.
The staff present failed those vulnerable patients.
Whenever I am in hospital for an infusion, everyone in the room is masked.
No exceptions.

exempt? maybe he should stay at home when spluttering all over everyone then , seeing as he can;t wear a face covering? i met quite a few "exemptees" during covid years and every one of them was a frantic loudmouth who charged about making a spectacle of themselves to draw attention to that fact. there's always one(many) who think theyre special case! the true special cases are invisible by their reservedness

A bit judgemental Gabrielle. I am genuinely exempt, with COPD (an I have never smoked, just my bad luck) and heart failure, which makes me extremely breathless.
There are occasions, when the mask has to come off.

I would never have considered going to hospital in that condition, but the other side of the story is that not having a regular infusion can lead to complications, as I well know!

I was at the Aand E at my local hospital this week and everyone was masked and anyone entering without or not picking up one of those provided was asked to mask up

If you are not able to wear a face covering
Face coverings are no longer required by law in England, but remain a requirement under infection prevention control (IPC) guidance in healthcare settings. There are some circumstances where people may not be able to wear a face covering.
Please be mindful and respectful of such circumstances. Some people are less able to wear face coverings, and the reasons for this may not be visible to others.
This includes (but is not limited to):
children under the age of 11 (the UK Health Security Agency does not recommend face coverings for children under the age of 3 for health and safety reasons)
people who cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness or impairment, or disability
people for whom putting on, wearing or removing a face covering will cause severe distress
people speaking to or providing assistance to someone who relies on lip reading, clear sound or facial expressions to communicate
to avoid the risk of harm or injury to yourself or others
police officers and other emergency workers, given that this may interfere with their ability to serve the public

Yes I do think you should raise your concerns. I would have to have said at the time that I wasn't comfortable being close to someone coughing so much with my weakened immune system. I would have asked if, at the very least, he could wear a mask and I certainly would have popped one on myself. Bit shocked that this wasn't suggested by the nurses or doctors and I hope they wore theirs but we are all responsible for our own actions. I do hope none of you come down with anything and that the man himself improves. Such worrying times. I have even started wearing my mask again when shopping.

Not as serious as your experience, but I went to my GP today, none of the staff and only one of the patients was wearing a mask. There were signs everywhere about wearing masks on the premises and even a video running about Test and Trace.
It really is shocking that you were exposed to an infectious person when you were visiting for treatment.

This happened when i went last week to a warfarin clinic to get my INR checked- all along since covid began our local hospitals have still insisted we wear masks, theres some free on entrance to hosp- and gel hands etc- but i'd noticed very recent theres been 2or 3 attnding without- i think they must just say they are allowed? Not a problem if they are ok and not ill as theyre still spacing out the seats as well with tape showing which to use- but one lady arrived and she was obviously very ill- coughing really badly as well- so much so the nurse got her a drink from water machine & asked if she was alright?- and lady actually said "oh im not well at all no, but i didnt want to miss my appt"! - I was so annoyed about it i DID mention it to other nurse when i had to go in the room where she had just been in- (they prick our thumb for blood sample then we queue again to see a nurse in another room for warfarin dosage) I said she had admitted coming in ill &why.I pointed out she should have just rung to rearrange when better.Nurse agreed. But yet i doubt they'd told her so.I insisted nurse made sure she'd gelled her hands again before attending to me (although she said she had) But i was making sure. I was so annoyed about it because i know if ive ever felt under the weather i have just rang up & said so & they have rearranged my appt.Simple! That lady must have known that she could /should have done so.I read this week that a lot of hospitals have asked people to go back to mask wearing due to strain they are already under.🤔

Yes seadragon- we KNOW that already- but theres a LOT of people who just cant be bothered and they are playing on this 'get out clause' to avoid wearing them.Even my son who has severe uncontrolled asthma said he doesnt understand why asthma sufferers etc would NOT want to wear a mask as thats more reason TO- rather than not to.He will wear his and at times has worn two together- he even wears it all day when in college.So for the half hour or so in an appt seems a reasonable request i think.I suffer from dry mouth, made worse by masks but i still do wear it.(i just make sure i take a bottle of water with me to sip if its too dry) I believe hospitals had previously relaxed rules in the outpatient clinics in some hospitals.Goodness knows why, as its only going to all escalate like that.🙄

The phrase "we are all responsible for our own actions" is just a get out clause the Tories decided to use so that they would not have deal with any more covid/health issues getting out of control and to enable the whole conservative party/mp's to get away with doing as they wished/going where they wished/with whom they wished.! Nothing to do with actual health & safety of ourselves & others at all. Why should everyone suffer just for Tories to do what they want without punishment.

Now we've got more rising covid of many different types- strep A- flu- scarlett fever- polio and all sorts on the blinking rise this winter! And yet STILL no proper rules put back in place!

I still remember the time, around fifteen years ago, when I was in a doctor's waiting room and a woman came in in a terrible state. She informed everyone that she had been awake all the previous night with flu. These appointments were all non-urgent as it was more in the nature of a clinic. She did not have the common sense or manners to rearrange her appointment. Two days later, l woke up with all those symptoms. It was, indeed proper flu and l needed a week off work, which, as I am self-employed, l did not appreciate. I think some people are incredibly selfish.

As a continuation from my post above. I’m exempt and CEV but still suffer a mask when I go out. Not only for myself but to protect others too.

If someone has flu and then starts to deteriorate, surely they have to seek medical attention? & surely a GP is a better place to go than A&E, especially at the moment? I have much sympathy with the OP but the poster who thought the patient with flu should have rearranged her GP appointment I can't understand - the chances are she was there because of her flu & if she'd rearranged she may have been unable to attend the next appointment because she was in hospital with pneumonia due to not seeking help in time.GPs aren't only for elective appontments...

I work as a Reablement Worker with people who have been discharged from hospital, I have had a cold and cough since last November, I have constantly hand washed, double masked and worn PPE. I haven't been ill enough to go sick from work until last week, when I ended up with a chest infection and temperature and have been to weak and feeble to actually work.
I would have been devastated to have passed my germs on to my clients and to my knowledge none of them caught my germs. There is no way I could have taken 6 weeks off work.