There is some wonderful posts of peoples experinces of there events and
things they have experienced on this site.Surely this information and feedback
would be of great value to Hospitals and care providers to improve services.Do
these providers use this information and read and consider this wealth of free
feedback available to them.It would seem a great waste if they didn't.Or do they
just do it there way.
I have been thinking the same Hometerry. The wealth of experiences on here could inform NHS Service Providers on so many levels. In no way is my comment meant to take away from our often brilliant health service it's just like you I feel it is an amazing resource for them to tap into. During a recent consult with Cardiology Registrar (who gave me a lot of time to talk through issues) she said she had never heard of angina only at rest. I suggested in as nice a way as possible that she could take a look at this blog. In fairness to her she took no offence (as has been the experiences of many on here) and told me she had heard many good things about BHF. I suppose the main purpose of the blog is to inform members and provide them with the opportunity to get support etc from fellow members but you raise a really interesting point. Thanks
Excellent post/thread!
Service Managers of the hospital like Royal Brompton Hospital (and alike) ought to look through these threads/posts to see what patients are up and against. I really DO wish they would do. I found the recent experiences by a couple of posters went through a higher degree of discomfort/pain in common cardiac procedure was utterly shocking.
They can learn A LOT from the grievances outlined by so many patients and constructive suggestions. I'm sure they do incredibly well with emergency cases/advanced cases but poor services around hard to diagnose cases, which are dismissed as "psychological" "not heart-related" is quite shocking, too.
Their attitude of "we know but you/patients don't" is utter nonsense.
"I'd step on your toes, can you tell me where the pain is coming from?" I would like them to treat patients, equally. Victorian tradition in medicine e.g. "your cardiac pain is psychosomatic" cardiac surgeon telling a grown man/woman over 55 years old, is plain silly.
Beware GDPR and all it's implications of using data here in whatever form without teh express permission of those concerned. I know its a pain and there's some great stuff on this website but it good be a minefield
In the first instance, the Data Protection Act has no jurisdiction here since we are all anonymous plus there is no one in the background, recording our information based upon our disclosures.
I totally agree with comments relating to the wealth of information within these posts, however because the details are not actually recorded (other than the headings) it makes the information unsearchable other than the headings, which gives no justice to what may lie underneath. But if clinicians took the time to follow the pages, I have no doubt they would discover a worth of information.
I am not sure if indifference in hospital staff has anything to do with how ill one is, or how intense the intervention is to bring a patient back to good health. I am however, having read with interest peoples experience, my own doctors comments and my own observations, the problem is one of indifference to older aged people - the older one gets, the milk of human kindness dwindles. It is as if we are all written off, ga ga, unintelligent, dim, lost the plot, the lights are on but nobody home, a sandwich short of a picnic and any time spent in conversation in just a lost investment. Given that, I saw in hospital patients almost intentionally left to pea themselves, when if a bottle had been brought at the time of asking, the added work and the shame and the distress of the patient would all have been averted. Further more, leaving an elderly patient to their meal and when not eaten, the food removed without even a thought of "what is the matter Mr / Mrs / Miss why have you not eaten your meal?" Would that happen in a run of the mill surgical ward? Would that happen in a paediatric ward? I doubt it!
These comments are based upon someone who has been consistently treated with good outcomes, with first class attention - until my HA and triple heart bypass at the age of 68, and only from a very small minority of the nursing staff. But there is a distinct cooling of care, I believe, as one grows older
Another relevant and disturbing subject ticking-ticker. In the last couple of years of my Mother's life her GP was amazing in actively treating her, discussing everything with both my Mother and family and doing everything possible to keep her out of hospital which was her wish. GP told us elderly and frail people didn't do well in hospital. I have observed the instances you mention - looking at Clinical charts showing 'fish and chips' for lunch when the whole plate of food was untouched and stone cold upon my unannounced visit outside of visiting hours etc. We need to continue to challenge these instances, as I do, but it takes it's toll and not everyone is strong enough to do that. I am 61 but think I am of a generation (generalising now) that respects the value of people older than myself and always have. It may sound like a form of segregation but I do wonder if there is a place for care of elderly wards - provided they are not seen as a negative option with staff who have additional training in the needs of older people. When I was in hospital last year both myself and another guy in his 40's regularly assisted checked on a frail person who was basically left to his own devices for long periods - that could be me in 20 years if I am lucky to live that long. I have some good examples of both registrar's and Consultants being caring to older frail people but I would say my worst observations are nursing care often from young immature health care assistants and I do question the recruitment process for these important roles. A huge subject worthy of discussion. A few years ago when I retired early from a long term Management post I decided I wanted to work just a couple of days a week doing something unconnected with my previous career, a job I would leave at the end of day and not take home. I went onto to work for M&S for a couple of years - my interview process for a retail assistant was really thorough and included a 15 minute role play scenario - do you think that happens in the NHS? I don't. Like ok you have an elderly patient should frail and a little confused she hadn't eaten today and her drink is untouched how would you approach this!!! Sorry for the long post.
Yes, this topic does warrant a good discussion on its own.
I have been in a stroke ward in a highly well-reputed NHS hospital over a decade ago. In the middle of the night, I had seen the ward nurses, ignoring stroke patients, struggling to breathe and they were making some noise to get their attention and desperate help. These were not immature, poorly trained nurses. Fully qualified nurses, which were simply following the "guidelines" that do not include "compassion" for patients, who were left unable to communicate.
Your mother is right. The hospital would be the worst place to go near.
I often wondered if some people make conscious plans to go abroad to have a far more humane way of leaving this world when it comes.
In some other cultures, living longer is seen as something to honour and celebrate.
I have been admitted quite a few times and seen some terrible things too. One old lady was crying out constantly and nurse said " oh, she is confused" and they just ignored her cries. One male nurse came along and he tried to help her, he adjusted her pillow and talked to her. The difference in attitude was obvious. It seems strange too that while we are all tied to bed waiting for news nobody ever takes time to talk to us. It seems to be a conveyor belt attitude. They do the tests etc then move on. It always annoys me that I can hear all the nurses outside the ward in the nurse station chatting about their weekend yet all the patients are left bored and maybe scared in the ward. Perhaps a little compassion would go a long way, forget about your private lives while at work and pay attention to the patients. A chat to an old lady while not busy would go a long way.
Having read and listened to many political programmes I have actually heard young people (below 25 usually) saying it was the OAP's who were draining the NHS and that something should be done about it - what I wonder? Voluntary euthanasia perhaps and surreptitiously poisoning the problem person? Did anyone see a film Soylent Green with Charlton Heston and Edward G Robinson - it was a process that was actually built into society. I also agree with autumnsonnet that the problem is generally at the hands of nurses and surprisingly not so much from young ones. My negative experience was with an ethnic minority nurse with over 25 years experience. I guess there are good and bad in everyone and in every walk of life - however, the uncaring could surely be placed in a less intensive role that they and the patient would appreciate. That brings me to my sincere thought that there appears to be no joined up thinking in management in the NHS where such anchors as ward matrons are a sad loss as a level of management that is long gone. There are also some basics that have been left behind as so called modernisation took hold, such as a uniform, daily inspections and discussions on nursing care. Personal pride breeds pride in everything one does. As you, perhaps it is my age however the milk of human kindness is so cheap and is worth a million!
One male nurse, who used to live in Asia (he was a former refugee), said to me many years ago, that "England is for young people". I'm pretty sure he had seen the worst "behind the scene" that many of us never had to glimpse.
Random musings and scary information!
Seeking information please
Information about sugar and bread
The Importance of reading Patient Information Leaflets.
Help and Information Needed Please
