I've been transferred against my better judgement & I might say against my will to the main ward if the respiratory ward from Assessment unit where I had a nice room on my own
In this main ward I'm not happy or comfortable at being transferred into here as patients are NOT wearing masks & there is the odd coughing & sneezing going on & christ knows what germs are in their saliva I have had no choice but to wear my mask which wets my mouth at every breath I take underneathbit
I advised the doctors nurses receptionist that I I feel this way & why & added in fear of my life in fac & feel by being in hear my life is in effect in danger despite their claims of a so called green ward & squeaky clean which just lies to dress it up to make it sound good when in fact in my view it's dangerous to my life
But no one is listening & just making me stay there against my will. They just wheeled my wheelchair to the ward & made me go in
I requested a side room in respiratory alone & was refused outright - to be fait when I passed by them they were full.
I then asked the nurses if I could request one if it became available & got a bitchy rude reply No & I don't think I ever will get one! & continued to speak to me rudely so I reprimanded her severely for it
The staff are as rough & ready as you know what & when you ask them a question you get a reply of I don't know. They're clueless in whatever their field is They walk around trying to look like they're working hanging around other staff movers who are as equally thick clueless & no knowledge of their field - in short ALL HOPE LESS
I've asked many questions to many members of staff & NOT ONE ciukd answer it. The only ones I believe who do actually know are the OFFICIAL doctors (the ones who have stethoscopes round their necks) - In fact I'm pretty sure that the said doctors & receptionidts are the only ones running this ward -
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Sara_2611
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Sorry to read how you’re feeling. They can’t force you to stay there or receive treatment unless they feel you’re not mentally competent to make that decision yourself. At which point they would need to seek legal permission to detain and treat you against your will. Unless that’s the case, if you want to leave, you can leave. If you want to refuse treatment, you can do so. However, I’m going to balance that statement by saying that they are even less keen to have people in hospital unnecessarily now than they were pre-covid: they wouldn’t be keeping you in unless they felt there was a real clinical need to do so. Only you can decide whether your ongoing health and well-being is best served in a hospital where they can treat and support you, or at home without medical assistance.
In an ideal world, all patients would have individual rooms to limit cross-infection risks. Unfortunately, that’s just not possible, and is unlikely to ever be the case within a state-run, free at point of access health system. I say this from a place of genuine compassion and kindness, and recognising that you’re understandably afraid, but saying (or even just implying) that the staff are incompetent and know nothing, and that professionals are lying to you about the safety of being on the ward, is not going to make your current situation any better in practical terms, or make you feel any better. Having spent a total of 5 months in several different hospitals over the course of the pandemic, I feel confident in saying that they would not be telling you the ward is green if it’s not. Does that mean it’s foolproof and there’s no chance of covid? No, of course not. But all the patients on the ward will have been tested. They will continue to be tested periodically over the course of their admission, and will be isolated if they did test positive. Limits are still in place over visitation, and most people would have enough brain cells not to visit someone if they thought they had covid. Hospital staff are still required to test several times each week. I’ve maintained throughout that the really unfortunate thing about covid is that it looks like dozens of other ‘normal’ viruses: as awful as it probably sounds, at least with things like Ebola it’s pretty obvious that’s what you’ve got. The reality on a respiratory ward is that people are going cough as standard. If their experience is anything like that of my teenage daughter who has a lung disease, they’re also probably sick to death of getting looks and tuts in public for coughing. However afraid and upset you are right now, please try not to be that person.
With regards to getting information, the first thought I had was are you asking the right person? If your questions are clinical, so about your condition, or treatment, or about how long you’re likely to be there, those are questions the nursing staff won’t be able to answer. The doctors may not be able to answer them, either, if your diagnosis is still uncertain. Personally, and from having experience of it happening, I would always much rather have a member of staff tell me they don’t know than lie to me or make something up, particularly about clinical issues.
At the risk of angering you, I would also just say to try and put yourself in the staff’s shoes with regards to the request for a cubicle: cubes are prioritised based on clinical need. Either people that are infectious (by which I mean bacterial lung infections, which is a serious issue in many lung conditions, rather than covid or viral) and need to be kept separate to protect others, or people who are unwell and need to be kept apart from others that could make them more unwell, or worse. If there was a clinical need to place you in one, they would do so: it’s a guess on my part, but I would say you are unlikely to be the most unwell person they have on the ward, or the most high risk, otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
If you decide to stay and not discharge yourself, but really feel and believe the things you’ve said in your post with regards to staff behaviour and ability, and the standard of care you’re receiving, rather than it being driven by the fact that you’re afraid and want to go home, you can always contact PALS whilst there. They’ll come to the ward and try and help mediate between you and the clinical staff to make sure you’re receiving appropriate care.
I have to say my comments based on my views of the NHS are justifies
Ask yourself this? Why every now & again are they in serious trouble with the relevant authorities because of serious faults that have either cost patients in their care their lives or even more - a worse situation even more worse
Recently the NHS were in serious trouble over their caring system
It's not the first time they've been in serious trouble over their failings which affect the lives of the people caught up in them in a negative way
Reading your comments seems you've missed this point
Recently a friend of mine went in to hospital for a procedure & it went badly wrong & she's compiled a whole book of evidence & as she's a solicitor by trade she is set to sue them
If I’ve missed the point of your post, then unfortunately, you’ve also entirely missed the point of my reply.
I have come to serious harm as a result of failings by the NHS, not once but several times. My daughter has come to harm as a result of the human failings of specific clinicians within the NHS. I know better than anyone that the NHS is far from infallible, and live with the consequences of that day in and day out. I will do so for the rest of my life. But by your logic, every single member of staff on that ward, if not that hospital, is not only grossly inept, but also wilfully negligent. How do you ever trust any professional and seek medical care if you believe that to be the case? I would genuinely be dead now if I didn’t retain some degree of willingness to trust medical staff in spite of my experiences. That doesn’t mean blindly accepting and trusting everything, and I would be an idiot if I suggested otherwise, but it does mean always starting from a basis of ‘these people are qualified, and I believe they genuinely want to do what’s best for me’. When things do go wrong, even when they go wrong on a horrendous scale, it is more usually the actions of an individual or small minority causing the problem than action en masse. Your post makes very broad, sweeping generalisations about the competence of the entire ward, including around infection control, that even in the terrible situation that’s occurred with midwifery in Shropshire would not hold up. Reason being that they’re not all incompetent, nor are they all complicit.
Even if the care is blatantly substandard, in which case clearly you need to take action to protect yourself, I would still argue that the majority of staff will be doing the very best they can. If I had a patient that appeared to be being difficult (and please note that I said appeared, I’m not saying you are, or that you aren’t entitled to have concerns), then human nature is such that it would most likely get my back up. To give just one example of several from your post, asking to be moved to a cubicle when one becomes available would at best indicate a lack of knowledge and understanding, but depending on the delivery - and this is occurring when you’re already in a heightened emotional state - potentially come across as being demanding, arrogant, and entitled. Just like you, they’re only human. Stuff like that, whether real or just our own perception of what’s going on, impacts on our interactions with others and how we respond, particularly if the ward is busy as your post implies it is.
Like I said, I understand you’re angry, worried, and upset. If the care is substandard, but you agree you do need to be there, I would contact PALS and/or ask to speak directly to the clinician in charge of the ward as a matter of urgency. No one should fear for their safety whilst in a hospital due to failings in care. But if the tone of your post reflects the way you’ve been interacting with the staff, then I have to be completely honest and say that I’d probably be quite short with you, too.
• in reply to
I remember a few years back when I had said about anger and frustration over not having been given special leave for a couple of hours at a previous job for a problem at home.
The counsellor had said to me to try see the situation from the managers side and I did and I found it changed my reaction to the situation but there was no need for the manager to have been unkind and unfair over it.
I avoid hospital wards as there are too many infections. I am fortunate as have an Acute Nursing Team who treat you at home if and when needed. They are highly qualified and take scans,blood tests and administer antibiotics intravenously at your home. They also visit with my Consultant . I cannot praise them enough. They agree you pick up so many infections in hospital wards. Hope your stay is not too long and you are well enough to go home soon. XxSheila 😷😷
Can I ask Garshe how you got your ACUTE team of nurses? I would very much like the chance of that! I have begged to be private as I can afford and to no avail. So please, please let me know how you go about getting that organized. Thanks in advance.
It was my GP arranged the first time. I now know them all personally and have their phone no. They will come to you when a Doctor arranges for them to call as they are a specialised highly quality team. My Respiratory team I can contact anytime and they will call to my home if I have an infection. I also ring them just for reassurance and they ring me often just to check everything ok.The Acute team are different than my Respiratory team. They call 3 times a day to give antibiotics intravenously or any other treatment needed to save you going into hospital where there are lots of infections. They put you on drip if dehydrated, and take blood and everything you would get if in hospital. But has to be recommended by GP.
Hello, pleased and interested you get care at home. I was born with PCD, including bronchiectasis, have one partly collapsed lung, and have needed iv antibiotics for two years, but Consultant insists that I’ve got to go to hospital to be set up. I’ve done my own iv six times when late husband was able to take me to be set up. Do you have to be set up at hospital, and is it with cannula or line? Regards, Jean x
I'm sorry to hear about your situation. It's really hard when you feel vulnerable. I was in a similar situation right after my transplant. I was on a very high dose of immunosuppressive drugs so I knew I could catch an infection very easily , but two weeks later they moved me to the general ward. I was quite worried about it. They did explain to me that they had a limited number of private rooms and they needed them for other patients who had just come from the operating room and were in essence still very weak and susceptible. They also said they would rather have patients who were dying in private rooms so they could have privacy with their family around. So I understood and I was put in a room with another lady , we don't have mixed wards in Japan. I know it probably did not help, but I just pulled my curtain around, made friends with the other lady , wore a mask and constantly cleaned my space and my hands.
They were so quick with the move that I didn't have time to take down the laundry I had washed. I had hung them to dry at the back of the television. They moved the television and all! So everyone got to see a procession of my granny knickers all the way to my new quaters!!! 👙 😂
Sara, I am sorry that you are feeling so overwhelmed with what is happening. I do think that Charlie’s replies are coming from a place of empathy and care.
You are in a very difficult situation and understandably very anxious.
I do hope that you are able to express your fears to one of your clinicians and that you find a way to resolve it.
Now I know this is naughty but pretend you have an uranelly infection . I had docs one hospital who kept saying that .so I could have room on own . , !
Oh dear. You sound very worried and frightened. I agree with Charlie about contacting PALS if the ward and staff are as you say. I had surgery during covid and every hygiene protocol was followed, shielded for nigh on two years, poked my nose past the front garden and got covid! As Charlie says, you are free to discharge yourself at any time. It's administratively tedious though, my Dad did it.
That's so true! One minute I was watching 'Open all hours ' next minute in a coma on life support! We must just be sensible and assess risks. I do hope things are improving there for you.
I used to enjoy watching open all hours years ago as well!
Yes things are better Now and are moving along in regard to that job it's just a second reference that they need and I have e mailed the chap concerned to chase him up but he is on holiday this week as recruitment had asked me to chase him up so I did what they asked!
Thing is the world doesnt revolve around job hunting and references!
Yesterday I had my jabs at occ health and the staff there were very kind and caring.
Today I have had a quiet day watching old coronation st from 1996 and a walk out at lunchtime and having lots of cups of tea!
I'm pleased the staff at occ health were kind, it makes such a difference. I'm a 'tea baby' too. I love having a cup of tea and watching the people go by. I'm having a quiet day too. Pilates earlier now reading.
I can understand why you feel upset Sara and there is no excuse for the staff to be rude and uncaring about your fears. I was kept overnight on a general ward in January but I was released the following day after a doctor had reviewed my scans. The side wards were all occupied by people with infections or sadly dying. This was done to protect the people on the ward. All the people on the ward were tested for COVID before admission to the ward. Hopefully you won't have to stay very long so try and relax. I know it's hard.
So pleased that you are back home now.Hope that you continue to improve.
I was recently on a COVID major ward and can only speak as I found which was that the staff did their very best battled insufficient staff and resources.
i spent 2 days at mums -& whadda i find my internet was down .I got it going only to find my 24/7 service set up from currys has expired & my mum wast noified as its in her name although im paying the ongoing monthly fee
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