Against forced music in hospitals

The last time I was in hospital I was very ill and was put onto a four bed quiet ward; no TV's, no music, just peace. When I was getting better I was moved to another ward that was so noisy - loud TV's, music, chattering visitors, patients calling out to one another and even nurses and doctors talking and laughing loudly - I couldn't rest, so asked for early discharge and decamped to my in law's home to recuperate.

I once went in as a day case and my OH was in the waiting room for relatives which opened on to the ward. For the whole time we were there the TV was on in the relatives' room with the most extraordinary programmes with people baring their souls or crowing about their immorality. I did not need the anaesthetic to make me sick!

Just realised that this petition was started almost a year ago and I signed it then.

I was in for a minor investigation under GA and there were several televisions on and noisy visitors when I was trying to nap. Horrible! Surely everyone can have headphones, they are as bad as mobile phones which would drive me bonkers.

12 Years ago, my mother was admitted to hospital with pneumonia.I went to visit her, and was horrified by the noise in the ward fro m the T,V.where Bruce Forsyth was compering a very noisy entertainment. The other patients were all sitting up in be watching, and obviously enjoying it.
I went to the nurse on the desk and told her my mother was seriously ill (didn't they already know this?)!!! and asked politely if she would turn it off.By the look on my face I think she realised that if she didn't, I would.
She went to turn it off immediately.
My mother died the next day, sadly.
I have signed the petition.I hate piped music anywhere.

Signed. I agree that this practice subjects the patients to stress which can only impede their recovery. When I've been in hospital, each bed has had a TV and headphones, but the patient has had to pay quite a heavy fee for their use. Any patient who disconnected the headphones and allowed the sound from her TV to impinge on other patients' enjoyment of their own entertainment was politely requested to put her headphones back on.

This is the sort of thing reported, vampirequeen (all from the last two months):

'For example, Stoke hospital has TVs on, loudly, in each bay, controlled by the patients who are not bedridden. Staff refuse to intervene on behalf of other patients who are too ill to do more about the noise because the TV fanciers "have human rights." ' (signature 1589)

'I have been plagued by music or radio blather in GP's surgery and hospital visits. I always take ear plugs - then have difficulty hearing my name called. In a recovery unit in October I had to endure 5 hours of unwanted TV. It's an appalling imposition on patients and should cease forthwith'. (signature 1577)

'I recently took my radio, and headphones, into hospital. Even with my volume turned up I could not drown out the dreadful noise of the TV, and no one was watching it. When I pointed out this latter fact to one of the nurses I was met with a shrug of the shoulders and a comment - Well, they might. A request to turn down the volume was ignored. Thank God I was only in for one night'. (signature 1534)

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I am against enforced music everywhere. Hate it - and don't get me started on americanised synthetised Christmas music starting in mid October or earlier. I will not go anywhere where this is happening - mainly large shopping centres, at that time. But agreed doubly or trebbly so in hospital.

I don't think it is normal to hear loud music in hospital. Las time I wa sin we had headphones for both radio and TV

I hadn't thought of that. I assumed that people used headphones to watch their televisions.

Would be my idea of hell to be in hospital let alone be forced to listen to Eastenders and Coronation Street.