Hospital staff....

[RedBaron]

i've worked for them too... and have friends who do as well. to be honest its unfair of me to blame everyone who works for the NHS, there are bad apples in every occupation... but you can't help but be pissed off when incompetence effects you and your family so greatly

[Nenki]

My Nan broke her ankle at home a few weeks ago and had to spend the week in hospital. The incompetence of some of the Doctors and Nurses were shocking, she had to have her ankle set twice because the first lot that did it did it completley wrong. She said the pain was unbearable.

She also mentioned that the night staff were incredibly rude to the patients on her ward. The aftercare hasnt been much better either. An ambulance was suposed to take her back to the hospital on Tuesday, so the consultant can make sure her ankle is healing well and they never showed up. A woman for their aftercare team was supposed to come to her house last week too to asess what she would need at home (Rails, Wheelchair Kamode etc.) and she never showed up either. Whenever you ring its just answer phones or secretaries who dont even know what day it is. Poor woman is 67 years old, she has worked all her life and paid her taxes. I shudder to think of how public healthcare will be when i reach that time of life.

[mack3333]

I'm all for "universal healthcare" but there has to be a more efficient way of doing it. A majority private system funded and regulated by the gov't would be much better than a system run by the gov't imo.

Luckily I haven't needed to see a doctor or go to hospital in over 10 years, but I switched to a private dentist 5 years ago and the difference in quality is massive.

[Jamie Taylor]

Thats nuts. I have equally harrowing stories about treatment on the NHS to do with mental health care and it boils down to laziness, lack of communication and a lack of interest

Mate you have hit the nail on the head with that.

I was worried some people might say ' stop moaning you ungrateful cunt they're looking after her and making her better ' etc but it sounds as if others share the same school of thought. Most of us hate our jobs and I'm sure a lot of people try to shuffle through their shifts doing as little work as possible, I cant see the problem with it if your in telesales, labourer etc but in this line of work I think its shocking the lack of interest they show.

The next thing that happens I'm definately going to complain. Others have said I'm mad to have not done so already. I really do dread to think how older patients are treated, I mean my fiance is 22 and of sound mind and gets treated worse than a dog sometimes.

It all seems to be ....

' well be back in a bit, i'll get someone else to, we're not trained to do that, ooohhh I'm not sure thats not my area, ill find out for you ( never return ).

The other day they tried 4 different blood pressure machines on her, none of them worked. NOT ONE of them ( Its hard to believe on a ward where obs are important and done every 30 mins usually ). Not only is it crazy that they havent bothered getting them fixed or shown a sense of urgency but she is supposed to have her own machine due to cross infection as she was in isolation ( we have to wear gloves and gown to visit). They had to get one off another ward and eventually one worked. Baring in mind each time one wasn't working they sent in another nurse to double check it which added up to about 12 attempts in the space of about an hour.

Just to double check those of you who have worked in the field. Is it not normal to have some kind of chart to see when patients have been / are due to be fed ?

[Iconoclast]

I worked for the NHS for a while (non-clinical). In the NHS Trust where I worked they made all new employees do a one week induction.

In this week I met some really great clinical staff who were very switched on, but I came across a disturbing number of people who I would be terrified to let anywhere near me if I was healthy, let alone sick.

There are incompetents in all walks of life, but in healthcare there should be more accountability than there is. Some of the cover ups and pay offs that I've heard about in the NHS are incredible, and the fact that they can do this with public money makes it all the more obscene.

[r-v]

in slough i have to say the nurses are really good in some parts really shit in other departments. When my father had a stroke last year he was in the Acute unite and most where indian and filipinos they where the best my father got great treatment and information to us was good. Then he had a very minor stroke several weeks after he went home and was put into a unite mixed with all types of patients and the English nurses where really fucking shit and would not do fuck all and non of the nurses had no info acted cocky.

My Uncle resently passed away from leucemia but he had the best treatment from his doctors and nurses and helped him cope with his situation. Like i said some departments you get the best help other's you get load of shit

[Emmet J]

I get Ulcerative Colitis 'flares' every now and then so I'm in my local hospital a fair bit getting drugged up.

Last time I flared badly I managed to walk into the hospital and spent 11 days there. On the last day I still wasn't any better but they were bored of 'treating' me apparently so they decided to discharge me.

20 minutes before my cab turned up I 'whited out' and collapsed on the ward floor. They were kind enough to pick me up, get me a glass of water and then wheelchair me out to the cab.

"Walk in and get wheeled out" - that should be the NHS motto.

[Duchman]

the best treatment i ever had was in a public hospital in brasil(for free)

england looks just like holland.. i walked around with corhns sickness for more than 4 months before i was up for a research.

[taffdragon]

my wife has been ill for years, various different complaints. about 8 operations and still not sorted ans now the pain killers the consultant gave her in hospital and the GP happily prescribed for her has almost shut her liver down. when ever shes in hospital which is probably on average about twice a year for a couple of weeks at a time and the nurses have been next to useless. never come when you call and if they do its with an attitude. the doctors seem to make every decision on what the doc before has suggested instead of makeing his own mind up.

then on the other hand my uncle died about 15 times on the journey to hospital then got tranfered to a hospital in london and was given a heart transplant and is still alive today after twenty years. so i guess theres good and bad in the NHS.

[6million$man]

Sorry to hear about all the problems you and your fiance have been having. You shouldn't feel bad about making a complaint, or even better a suggestion of how things could be done differently. If you decide to, it might be a good idea to speak to PALS (patients advice and liason services) who can help you go about it and offer advice. The problems you've experienced are avoidable and even though the NHS generally does a very difficult job well, improvements always need to be made.

As a general point (not aimed at your situation) it is extremely difficult to provide healthcare. In most jobs, if you get distracted and forget to do a task, the consequences are relatively minor. If you're a nurse and you forget something, it could kills someone. But everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes people jump on NHS staff a bit too heavily i think.

I hope things improve and your fiance gets better soon. All the best.