Attending hospital with flu!

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!!

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.

It's now government advice to use masks in public places if you are unwell, and we are constantly being implored to be careful because hospitals are getting overwhelmed.
Naturally, we all want to avoid illness if we can, in any case.

So I say you should definitely complain and tell them they should insist on mask wearing in the hospital, to protect everyone.

An awfuk situation to be in. I have recently been in unavoidable situations with people with very bad colds but have mitigated the problem with using First Defence nasal spray. As I have COPD and find a mask difficult I now use it every time I am going to a crowded place, e.g. a supermarket, as yet I have managed to stave off any infections. It may be worth a try.

Even exposure to a cold can be dangerous for those of us who have COPD and are immunocompromised.
The patient should have been in a side room.

If it’s any consolation, it probably wasn’t flu. There is a really nasty cold / cough going around and it lasts more than 3 weeks. My husband has it and coughs until he’s nearly sick. No temperature or shivers and not covid. We’ve spent a fortune on throat sweets, cough medicine and night nurse! Nevertheless, I do agree he should have been isolated- I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

This type of irresponsible behaviour is a pet hate of mine and makes me really angry. Why didn't the man speak to the staff on arrival to explain his situation - finding him a more isolated position couldn't have been difficult surely?
It also annoys me when the staff do the rounds on a ward taking basic obs - BP, pulse etc - and the fail to wipe the equipment between patients. I have only ever seen this happen once and I commented on it to the Care Assistant at the time. He replied "we should all do that, it is part of basic training" .
No wonder so many bugs and infections get passed around in hospitals.

I can understand your concern. He shouldn’t have been attending in that condition. It wasn’t fair on everyone else. He should have been sat well away from other people and made to wear a mask.

That’s dreadful . I think it should be mandatory to at least wear masks in hospital at the moment .

I had a GP appointment yesterday. Those not wearing a mask were handed one to wear when they cheked in.
Entering a medical facility, coughing and sputtering without a mask, is totally selfish, when there may be vulnerable patients sitting in close proximity..

I also have a low immune system due to taking medication and attend hospital regularly. I was there on Friday and most people picked up and wore a face mask but we did have a couple that didn’t. I believe it should be compulsory to wear one in any medical setting hospital dentist etc. the bug you describing he had sounds like the one I had i didn’t go outside for nearly two weeks and I had a dentist appointment and rang and cancelled it because I didn’t want to spread it on. I don’t wear a mask anywhere else though lol

Dee1012 and Coco51 that must have been terrifying. As others have said, there seems to be much less mask wearing even in medical settings; I don't know whether it is because there are not enough being provided or whether it is a feeling that they are not needed any more, which they clearly are.

I work as a volunteer at our local hospital and we have had to wear masks again for a few months now and as far as I know it is enforced where people attend clinics. I would have felt uncomfortable in the presence of someone coughing and sneezing as well.

While I was in hospital , I was moved to a different ward which had a big notice that Norovirus was present. I’m immuno suppressed so I told the nurse and she was very shirty with me. I was terrified (still am) that I’ll get something I can’t shake off.

I absolutely agree he should have been asked to wear a mask. I visit hospitals regularly and it’s now some do and some don’t wear masks. The problem is that unless everyone is wearing protection a mask doesn’t really stop you getting infected. I got covid from a supermarket and was double masked with gloves on. Sadly others weren’t including staff.

He should have been wearing a mask or been provided with one especially since he was coughing in a confined space. Makes me angry. Noticed today more people back to wearing them in public places.

I would have kicked up a big fuss, at the time, and demanded a move for myself - to a safer place. If you don't complain, nothing ever changes. Still, an official complaint, copying in your GP, will be something.