General Chat

Now if you had a HRH before your name or MP,,,,,,,,you just wouldnt be moaning about hospital food or lack of treatment or waiting times....... ;-) :-D.

Roy, I certainly wouldn't tar them all with the same brush. Night staff are often comprised of agency nurses. I am going to keep quiet about some I have suffered dire care from.

I made a formal complaint when I was in Glangwili. The night staff ignored an old dear's cries for help. She wanted the commode. The first nurse told her to hang on. She buzzed again after 10 minutes and told the nurse she was so desperate she was frightened she would wet the bed. The nurse replied "well you'll have to then won't you". After that I went absolutely nuts!!! I was physically able to help her into clean night clothes earlier because nobody else wanted to know. Now I had the choice of going to the sluice room and bringing a commode to her myself or kicking up hell. I chose the latter.

They moved themselves after that once they realised that I knew exactly who to complain to in the hospital because she was a friend :-D I made a formal complaint the next day. The following 2 nights I was in the care improved but I have no doubt once I was discharged the standards would slip again.

I (and hubby) have fed elderly patients, fetched and carried, bought them items from the mobile shop. Filled out their meal choices because they couldn't a) see b) write c) reach the piece of paper and had no writing implement. We did this after witnessing an auxilliary ask one patient what she wanted. The answer didn't come quick enough to she said "Oh you'll have what I decide then".

Nothing is perfect and there is huge room for improvement.

my Dad received appalling treatment in a now demolished hospital on the outskirts of Cardiff and I did not let them get away with it - after receiving my complaint they had a fit and contacted me to say that they wished to meet with my sister and I ASAP - well my sister lives in Hereford, so they said they would drive me to Hereford to meet with her to discuss what had happened. I declined the offer of a lift with them and we all met in the Chief Nursing Officer's office at the hospital where I was working at the time. Th outcome was that the sister in charge of my Dad;s ward was severely reprimanded - although she excused her behaviour by saying that her husband had recently died!!! If patients, particularly elderly, have no one to speak for them, anything can happen and we should all be aware of that - the culture on some wards emanates from the top

my daughter in law has chosen to work with elderly mentally ill - a tough choice in my opinion, but she loves it and I can say with hand on heart, she would never abuse a patient in her care, even though nursing staff are more at risk of patient abuse on the elderly wards than any other - she's already had a week off sick due to a clobbering by an old man - he didn't mean to do what he did

when I worked at our local psychiatric hospital the incident forms of harm and injuries to staff came in the most part from the elderly wards - very few from the forensic and acute - when you deal with the elderly you are up close and personal and therefore right in the firing line

supercrutch, Some very good valid points, My wife a nurse, also raises concerns about how some wards are mixed in relation to the different type of care patients require dependant on their condition, I'm sure she would love to give you all an insight into Facts about different wards and the levels of QUALIFIED staff and the care given or lack of, but as she works long hours and just collapses in a heap through exhaustion when she gets home from work i feel it would not be fair to ask her, So i pass on bits that i'm told when she has to use me to get things off her chest in order to keep her sanity,

Ann, Your daughter in law is newly qualified, Lets hope management gets their act together and gives her the tools and support she will need to give the care to her patients that im sure she wants to give.

Their are both good and bad in everything in life, Having been in several hospitals my experience is that of a positive one,

Try not to tar all nurses with the same brush,

Merlin, My post was not intended as a joke may be you could explain what it was about my post that you found so funny,

Roy

Please if anyone is going into hospital and has special requirements GET IT ENTERED INTO YOUR NOTES AND ASK YOUR RELLIES OR DO IT YOURSELF: WITH FELT PEN MARK ON THE INFO BOARD OVER YOUR BED: GLUTEN FREE, OR DIABETIC, OR ALLERGIC TO 'MUSHROOMS'.

You have to take responsibility yourself now which is wrong but necessary. Ask to see the dietician, don't take no for an answer. Be a pain in the butt!

The nurses' station is a strange setup depending what type of ward you are in.

Acute Medical: On admission you are right near the station so don't get any sleep.

All other wards are pot bloody luck :-0 I have been in 2 bedded, 4 bedded, 6 bedded and a private room (wonderful). Mixed wards I have been stuck in twice!
There is absolutely no consideration given to patients when 2 have drips up which beep, or one or more are on an air mattress which bloody hisses 24 hours a day.

It would be much nicer if the more dependent were in a ward all together and patients who are well into recovery can get some sleep!

I have been in tears from pure exhaustion during many inpatient days. What's the most important aid to recovery? SLEEP. yet hospitals deprive you of that basic need.

If you are stuck near the nurses' station you hear them ordering their takeaways, eating said meals and chattering about their nights out and all with a glaring light on.

You can tell I am really looking forward to suffering 7 nights as an inpatient whenever they schedule me in.

Rant over.

I hope you friend makes a good recovery Ann.

Sue x

Roy, what you have wrote on here regarding Nurses Work stations would have gone down well on the show on TV.They called the Commedians, and you would have won.**M**.

it's awful isn't it - I wrote to Lesley Griffiths regarding my son - no reply - but if and when I do get a response I shall be raising the question of my friend's daughter and the lack of the correct food, and also mention there is the same problem at Withybush Hospital in Pembrokeshire, according to a previous posting on here - unless we the users of the National Health Service do something about it nothing will be done and we'll get the service we deserve - I cannot sit on the fence on this one, especially as I am now in my late seventies and the likelihood of me ending up in hospital - please God I don't - is getting more likely

my lovely daughter in law is a qualified nurse - qualified last year - she is tops, no mistake and she was horrified to hear that they don't have gluten/dairy free food in Swansea - they definitely have it at her hospital - Llandough in Cardiff

when she worked as a bank nurse at an old people's home they had one thermometer - one that goes in the ear - for all the patients!!! and what did she do - she went down the local chemist and bought what they had, including childrens thermometers - Peppa Pig that you put on the forehead

I'm like a dog with a bone when I get going and believe me, this is not going to disappear - not on my watch as they say :-D :-D :-D

It all sounds horribly familiar - I still feel sick and angry over the way a loved one was treated, over a period of 8 months until his death, by a certain hospital. Shocking. I hope your friend's daughter recovers soon <3

AnnC..

Read this and you could always write to either the Welsh Health minister Lesley Griffiths and Stephen Terry and James Marin about the food..

Hope you get some answers.

Wahooo .... blinky eck, hope that has happened cause of your letters:))

Best of luck to your son:))

jude xx

A strong letter to the Hospital Administrator wouldn't go amiss here. Seems there's one rule for us British and one for other creeds & cultures.

Hope your friend's daughter gets well soon.

As for Nursing stations in the wards - all they seem to do around them is natter and not about work. My mother was dying and we asked for her to be made comfortable. In a minute I'll just finish my tea. We did it ourselves in the end. And from personal experience the nights are worse, natter, natter all night long about what they are doing after going home etc.

Phyll

well I sent it to the Daily Mail - think they are the kind of paper to print it - they've done one of my letters before

Well said Ann I hope you get a reply.....

Hope your friends daughter is ok and stays strong..... <3

well shock, horror and slap my thigh!!!! son's MRI scan scheduled for a week Wednesday

I shall keep you posted!!!

Ann....good for you, l do hope you get some responses.

Take care

jude xx

Ann
A relative of mine had the same thing at Withy Bush re the gluten and dairy free.
Her husband took food in for her.

Best Wishes to your friends daughter and to your son.
Take care
Von

well I just got myself very nicely worked up so done my usual thing - fired a letter off to the local newspaper - South Wales Echo and shall also send it to a national newspaper too

NHS GONE TO DOGS

something just has to be done before this all goes that step too far

my friend's daughter is presently in a Swansea hospital having undergone a double mastectomy last Friday - a young woman with a very young family - she has a dairy and gluten free diet but has been unable to have breakfast at the hospital as they have no dairy and gluten free food!!!! She was offered an omelette and thought one egg wouldn't hurt, but when she inspected it, turned out it was a cheese omelette

Do you think patients requiring halal or kosher or vegetarian food would be starved

the woman in the next bed has Alzheimers, very sad, but friend woken this morning by said woman climbing on her bed about to urinate on her - she cried for help and staff removed the woman

my son has been waiting since last December for an urgent MRI scan - he required an operation last week but this could not be carried out without first seeing the MRI scan - this would have been the 12th identical operation for the same problem - th GP has indicated that if nothing is done by today he will organise the MRI scan - do I believe that? definitely not

during the past two weeks I have undergone various tests and X-rays - rang GP today to ask about results - apparently there are concerns regarding one of the blood tests and the x-rays - a GP will give me a call next Wednesday to discuss - so what am I to think in the meantime, obviously not life-threatening but worrying just the same

Now these events are just in my very small family and circle of friends - makes one wonder what the full pcture looks like

with regard to my son, I have sent letters far and wide, two to the hospital manager, two to the Welsh Assembly, one to the Minister of Health and for good measure, a copy to David Cameron. And have I received even an acknowledgement to any of these letters? No, of course I haven't

that's kind of you - she has two little boys and has been so upbeat about all this - she's only little, about a size 6 or 8 - she has a lovely husband and family and they are all rooting for her - makes you wonder where on earth these cancers come from

they now say she may be going home today which I think is good cos the longer anyone is in hospital the more at risk they seem to be from other infections

AnnCardiff, sorry I forgot to wish your friend's daughter a speedy recovery :-)