Hospitals

I was also so blown up with fluid that i was about 3 stone heavier than i was when i arrived there, but they shouted "use your arm: push yourself" you're given a little cushion and told to take it easy on that arm for a little while.

My midwife daughter, who left the NHS in despair, summed it up as ‘Dire from day to day but brilliant in an emergency.’

If it was a choice between a lovely environment but terrible care, or excellent care but poor environment I guess I know which choice I'd make...

oh MissA, can someone help you make a complaint? that sounds just awful

There's much to be thankful for, true.
I just don't find all heathcare staff meet up with the "wonderful" reputation.

JaneJudge

oh MissA, can someone help you make a complaint? that sounds just awful

Well, i thought i was starring in a cartoon of "Monsters inc" for a lot of the time, Jane.
The man in the bed next to me died on the ward, despite frantic (and professional) attempts to resuscitate him, and i watched it all, because they'd only pulled the curtains almost around him - certainly not deliberately to upset me, I'm sure.

Yes I agree, with the developmentbof modern technology there is far more equipment going beep in the night, and consequently staff moving around more to monitor and adjust it. I hate mixed wards, unless it's crtical care, HDU , or coronary care which have far fewer beds, they should be banned imo

Last time I was in hospital, 7 years ago, I was admitted to acute admissions with pneumonia and influenza A. I needed a side ward because I was infectious but they didn't have one free, so they pulled the curtains around my bed and pinnedca paper sign to them to say side ward, ridiculous but sadly true. Luckily I was found a side ward after 24 hrs, and was home in 3 days

MissAdventure

JaneJudge

oh MissA, can someone help you make a complaint? that sounds just awful

Well, i thought i was starring in a cartoon of "Monsters inc" for a lot of the time, Jane.
The man in the bed next to me died on the ward, despite frantic (and professional) attempts to resuscitate him, and i watched it all, because they'd only pulled the curtains almost around him - certainly not deliberately to upset me, I'm sure.

that's horrible. Have you spoken to anyone about this?

I was once in for dental.surgery and night nurse tried to give me antibiotics, I said ' I thought they weren't starting til after surgery tomorrow, she saud ' oh I thought you'd already bern' and just toddled off

No.
I just say I wasn't well.
Sometimes stuff blurts out (like it did just now!) quite unexpectedly.

I think you are just processing everything that has happened, which is normal too

MissAdventure

When you're at a low ebb, the last thing you want to is stir it up more, I think.
Then, when you're out, you don't want to revisit some of the events in your mind.

My ds researches into patient safety. One of the measures they use is letters of complaint. Contrary to what one might think, fewer letters of complaint than other hospitals can be a red flag of things being seriously wrong. It’s exactly what you have said in your post - basically, people treated in a ‘troubled’ hospital are so relieved to get home alive that they don’t complain, they are just thankful they escaped.

Letters of complaint about the food and other smaller matters are generally an indication that the hospital is running well, because if that’s all people complain about, it means there aren’t bigger issues at play.

Human behaviour is very interesting.

That’s awful miss adventure.

People complain about loud patients on wards but they usually have no control over their behaviour. When I had Covid I was in a ward with 6 patients. I was probably the youngest and I was 68 at that time. 3 of the patients were confused and did their share of shouting out , day and night . The lady in the next bed to me did nothing but complain about them and constantly rang for the nurses to come and sort them out . There was nothing the staff could do about a confused patient so she was making a nuisance of herself and ultimately kept them from doing their jobs . I wish some people could have some understanding of confused patients.

That's just the tip of the iceberg, believe me.
I'm not planning on a sequel appearance in Monsters Inc.

And just to cap it all, I now have a huge, stinking, leaking wound scar that has re-opened.

The reason for the nails in the top of my arm was because I asked where my phone was, to let my boy know where i was.
The particular nurse said "why the fuss? His mother should tell him, where is she?"

The particular nurse said "why the fuss? His mother should tell him, where is she?"

If only...

I spent two years as an auxiliary nurse many years ago, and came across some truly shocking attitudes and behaviours.

Oh MissAdventure that’s just cruel, I do hope you can start to mend now you are home.

Ah, thanks.
I don't think the jibe about my daughter was deliberate, but nontheless, a jibe it was.

I was sent up to our local hospital a week ago at 9am because my heart seemed to be playing funny whatsits. I described my symptoms to the nurse in reception and was given a red emergency wrist band.
A day of tests followed after which I fully expected to be discharged. Oh dear no. I was kept in overnight for observation. There was no room in the cardiac ward so I was put in a small word with four other women in it. All very sick ladies. I felt a bit of a fraud.
In the morning a consultant came to talk to me and said she wasn't too worried about my heart, she also gave me various medications to help with BP and cholesterol etc
Everyone I came across from cleaners to consultants was kind, friendly and good at their jobs. I haven't been in hospital since I had my younger daughter 44 years ago. I thought things had improved considerably.

That's great to hear.
Its how it should be

MissAdventure

Sitting at a desk, scrolling through facebook whilst some poor sod rings for a bed pan which never materialises must be quite stressful, i supose.
Honestly, that is what my stay was like.

Same for my mum when in hospital. The nurses seemed to think they were above such things. There were 4 of them sat laughing at their desk outside the room where my mum was. I went to ask for a bed pan twice because nobody had come to answer her buzzer. In the end she soiled herself. I couldn't get her out of bed to take her to the toilet as she was attached to various things. She was totally devastated and humiliated.

MissAdventure

JaneJudge

oh MissA, can someone help you make a complaint? that sounds just awful

Well, i thought i was starring in a cartoon of "Monsters inc" for a lot of the time, Jane.
The man in the bed next to me died on the ward, despite frantic (and professional) attempts to resuscitate him, and i watched it all, because they'd only pulled the curtains almost around him - certainly not deliberately to upset me, I'm sure.

This reminds me of my nursing days when if there was a cardiac arrest call there was no time to think about the sensibilities of the other patients- we were only concerned about saving a lifeas quickly as possible.
I am not sure if you are saying the curtains were or were not drawn around the patient but in my day this almost certainly would have been done- to protect the patient's dignity if nothing else.
On the wards I worked on many patients would have just accpeted that they were in a hospital and emergencies like this occur. Most of them were grateful that it hadn't have been them but also anxious that it might have been them next.
It would in those days have been possible to speak to the other patients about what they were feeling, they most of them supported us in doing out jobs as best we could.
I hope the patient survived.

No, he died.
I thought i had said they pulled the curtains round him and were totally professional, but that they hadn't reached past my view, which is why I witnessed the whole thing.
I also said that the incident wasnt intended to "get at me".
It just added to my not overly glowing, but totally truthful experiences as I explained.

Oh, i did say he died, in my post.
Sorry you seem to be so offended about the type of patients nowadays.

I'll try to do better next time, I promise