I had to go to the hospital yesterday for a venesection. I wasn’t looking forward to it but with HCT of .51 knew it was necessary. As I walked into haematology there was a nurse sat on the wall outside. I checked in, only 2 others waiting so selected a chair on an empty bank of back to back chairs. A few minutes later a cleaner started cleaning the chairs behind where I was sitting, he’s then leaning on the back of the chair directly behind me! I got up and moved to another bank. Then the nurse called me in for triage,and said, I’ve just been outside for a little break. She had a mask on, no gloves and no apron. She gave me a mask to put on after my temperature check, put the themometer in my mouth and held it there, her hands stunk of cigarettes! I know I should have said something and I’m kicking myself for not doing so! So not only had she not washed her hands after coming in from outside but she didn’t wear gloves or an apron.
Before long I was called into the ward and they couldn’t have been nicer and followed all protocols.
I was going to mention it to the nurse doing my venesection, but the triage nurse came onto the ward then and he asked her to go to the pharmacy to collect my Hydroxy to save me going.
I’m now really worried that she picked up my mask with her smokey hands as well as touching me to do blood pressure etc. I know I should have said at the time! Hand washing is the first basic of all this Covid stuff. If the triage nurses don’t do it what hope is there for us?
Anyway, Maybe now I I’ve written it down I can forget about it. And stop fretting.
Judy xx
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piggie50
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Oh Judy what a horrible day you had I feel for you we trust the nurses and hospital staff to do the right things try not to worry i am like you I think about things after the situation maybe you could give the hospital a call next week and tell them what happened and maybe it won’t happen againI am sending a big hug best wishes,
Hi Judy. Very very surprised to hear about your visit......as you say everybody knows that we must wash hands, but for a nurse it’s unthinkable not to use antibacterial wash, before they even touch you. It is , or should be, second nature ,emphasised all the time.
I’m not surprised you are angry and disappointed , easy to say‘ I should have said something, ‘ but I can understand exactly how you felt. I’m not shy about complaining about things that I feel should have been better ( I hope justifiably , I like to think I’m a fair person,) but I don’t think I would have made a comment to her either.....maybe because I really appreciate what is done for me at the by the NHS and would feel bad about complaining.... but I would in hindsight, like yourself have got myself in a stew and regretted also for not mentioned this bad practice....I don’t think it’s to late to raise the issue with the unit. Do you have the email of the senior nurse, ? I have forgotten her name sorry.
Repeating what you have written above, explaining your concerns after your visit, and maybe a reminder can be given to all staff to adhere to good practice.
I’m quite sure you have nothing to cause you any worry .
To just raise the issue with a senior would I’m sure, be appreciated .
Apart for that experience ...I hope all is well with you and your family .
It’s such a strange time...we all tend to feel different emotions, though as I say constantly we are so very lucky to live in this lovely part of the country.
I have to be honest I do get scratchy’ with him indoors’ sometimes🤭whoops....
Take care....please try not to worry. Very much hope to meet up this year..👍🏻
Oh Judy, how absolutely awful for you to be left with this worry. It’s such a shame that one person has let the whole clinical team down.
Don’t beat yourself up about it, what’s done is done. The question is, should you make a complaint? Only you can answer that.
I don’t know if it’s any consolation, but, I always check the Covid-19 cases, UK Map for my county (Notts) and I noticed that Devon is near the bottom. The likelihood is you’ll be ok, but that doesn’t justify this appalling experience.
Thanks for your reply. Yes, Devon is very near, if not at the bottom. I just don’t think I can put it out of my mind until I have told someone.
The nurse did say, she retired in December and came back on the bank. She said,” my old boss didn’t like me and didn’t want me back on her ward so I ended up here. Oh well her loss! “
By the time I got to the ward I was ready to question everything but they were exemplary.
I hope you are both well Mary and your mum is doing ok.
You shouldn’t be left feeling like this. At least speak with your CNS. It’s unprofessional behaviour and needs highlighting. Maybe there’s good reason her boss didn’t like her.
We’re fine thanks Judy. I took my hubby out for a picnic in the woods after six weeks of shielding, it’s done him the world of good. Mental health has to be addressed too.
I’m glad you had a good picnic. I couldn’t agree more regarding the mental health. I’m trying to walk a bit more, safely , of course. My HCT went from .46 to .51 in four weeks. I’m wondering why that would be? I’m still drinking loads, but not walking as much, so I’m going to try and increase that. I certainly don’t want to go down with Covid if I already have thick blood!
Hi Judy, I was going to click the like button for your post as it's a good thing that you have shared your experience however it doesn't seem appropriate as I'm left thinking what's to like about what's happened there. Frankly it beggars belief especially from someone at the coalface of the medical profession who should be acutely aware of their responsibility to their patients in these difficult times.
I see your dilemma. Our NHS staff at all levels are under pressure and you feel churlish or awkward pulling someone up or reporting them to a third party but they above everyone else should be putting hand hygiene top of the list with or without Cv19.
So what to do. Always more difficult after the fact I feel as it gives the guilty party wiggle room to excuse their oversight. It could be a one off incident but theres every chance that the nurse in question will likely be compromising patients on a daily basis and if I were you I would try to speak to someone about it.
I'm not into witch hunts but maybe a timely reminder to all about hand hygiene especially if they leave the Unit.
On a brighter note nurses are being tested so I think your risk is extremely low it just plays on your mind which is hard to shake off.
Maybe you should take your own mask if pos or ask at reception for one as they usually have a box.
That's good. . But you might find that someone beat you to it and it's been addressed. . .
Kate and I are both reasonably well I think , just suffering a tad from lock down fever and a certain amount of frustration at not being able to go about our own daily business ie shopping. ,
We have a strong relationship I reckon but being cooped up together 24/7 sometimes tests our resolve. . . Ah well better safe than dead eh ? !
X
Btw, if you can sew or machine my sis in law has made us masks following a guide on YouTube I think. . . Could be worth a look.
That’s awful! Which hospital do you go to? Once I smelt the cigarette smell that would have been enough for me. It’s never to late to bring it up with head of department. Good luck hun xx
Oh no Judy! What a terrible experience you had. It's shocking!
I'm also very surprised to hear what you went through and don't blame you at all for wanting/needing to raise it with a senior nurse.
As you know I attend the same hospital as you, and everyone is aware the whole hospital site is a no smoking zone - there are signs at every approach to the hospital saying just that. So for a member of staff to be breaking a cardinal rule is really bad - how can they enforce it with patients and visitors when nursing staff are doing it.
Many years ago I was a Dental Nurse (I worked at a specialist dental unit on a military base in Germany) We were always told not to smoke on site and definitely not to wear our uniforms - so if anyone wanted to go out for a smoke break, they had to change into their 'normal' clothes, have their smoke break, then get changed back into their uniform, wash hands, clean teeth etc... unsurprisingly no one bothered to take smoke breaks.
Hand hygeine is a crucial part of stopping the spread of this virus - so for a nurse to pick up a piece of equipment without washing hands and wearing gloves is disgusting. I'm also shocked that they used a thermometer like that. When I went to my GP surgery last month they used a digital thermometer that went in my ear - the nurse had gloves, mask and visor on and then put another pair of gloves over those gloves before doing the blood test.
I hope you receive a positive response from your CNS and assurance that it will be dealt with.
I never have - perhaps that's due to the time I usually have my regular appointments... they are normally really early.
I'm 'OK' and decided yesterday to start getting out more; for the sake of my own mental health. I was fast becomming agoraphobic. I had meds to pick-up from Boots at Exe Bridges and I was tempted to contact someone from a local wellbeing site to pick them up for me. It was an anxious struggle but I decided to walk and collect them myself - I also popped into M&S to get some goodies and also caught my local bus home - I was wearing a facemask and gloves - there was only one other person on the bus (I also had hand sanitiser in my pocket and observed social distancing) It felt so good to be doing something 'normal'. I'm now fully charged and planning another walk to a local store tomorrow and have cancelled a 'home delivery' that I had booked for next weekend. I want to start getting my life back and I'm fed-up with virus fear.
After reading your post, I'm a firm believer that we all now have to start being more forceful - we all have to start taking control and telling people to back-off when we notice people not observing hygiene/social distancing regulations. We have to take responsibility for our own health. K.x
I would have felt exactly the same as you. And yes, I would absolutely raise it with the hospital. The nurse disclosed enough of her actions and history to set red flags flying. I would raise the matter in terms of how it made you feel and compare the initial experience with the exemplary protocols you experienced in haematology. Perhaps it highlights some ‘re-training needs’!
The pressure of the current crisis isn’t an excuse for anyone to become slipshod about basic hygiene. Quite the opposite. I suspect this person’s behaviour will come as no surprise to anyone!
Meanwhile look after yourself, enjoy the sunshine and I very much hope your local beauty spots aren’t overrun with lockdown busting grockles!
P.S. Nurses still stick thermometers in people’s mouths????? Can’t recall when I last saw that happen?????!!!!
Yes we have had campers in Cornwall and Exmouth beach is very bad at the weekends. I have been for a walk on the coast but never at a weekend, it’s too busy.
Not a nice experience. I would have been the same. It is yourself you feel mad at in cases like this, and you shouldn't as you are not the one in the wrong. Hope all goes well for you.
Ugh!!! Turns my stomach. I don’t know what the protocol is now but my school friend trained to be a nurse in the ‘70’ s. On enrolment she was give 7 uniforms. 1 a day also she had to change at work.
I know, I can remember when they were not allowed to wear their uniforms outside. I’ve even seen someone near me walking her dog in hers! They wear them on the buses and the crocs they wear on their feet. Who knows what germs they are taking in.
Oh, I know just how you must feel I would have done the same and thought about saying something afterwards, but also feeling very worried after all that isolating! I see you are going to call your CNS on Tuesday -I do think it should be reported as the nurse clearly needs some retraining -for the sake of others.
All the best! You will be worrying about it now until after the incubation period. I shall be watching for your posts but I'm sure the risks of infection are declining all the time now.
Oh Judy, that’s horrible and disgraceful. I’m surprised her colleagues aren’t saying something! Totally agree you should let hospital know. I’ve got a blood test tomorrow and I think my hematocrit is up so will be in the same boat.
I feel uncomfortable reading all of this ......my Dr sees me in a private situation,I email him when unwell as I have been lately...my nurse comes to take my blood tests in my home,he arrives looking like a space man,then disinfects everything used even forms he has to fill in,yesterday he also took a blood test for Covid....we are a clear area but I agreed to have it done as my Dr wants to make sure of my shortness of breath....consultant phones me ,hospitals are open only for Urgence..Judy my H C T is always high,if I get down to 50 my medical people are delighted.I had venesections when first diagnosed,when down to 50 from 80 !!!I was put on Hydrea,now after 11 yrs I am on Rux ,tested every 3 weeks ,Your experience was dreadful...I hope you feel better about it soon..worry doesn't help us does it. Keep spirits up
You definitely should say something. That’s awful. Above all else, medical facilities should be a safe place. She should at least be reprimanded. I’m sorry you had to go through that.
Hi piggie 50, your post has reminded me when I first got diagnosed. I felt the consultants beside manner so cold he told me not to look at his face as he told me my diagnosis, he wouldn't give me my full blood count either, I went straight round and moaned at the patients desk in reception. That didn't change anything I just accepted that was how they did things. A year later there was a letter lying around the reception saying how much there going to miss him no that he retired. It just left me feeling rather lost I couldn't be happier with my cns now though she's kind and supportive Im due for my 2 nd venisection during the lockdown which makes me feel grateful as I sure there's many others not being treated at the moment. Well done for posting your feelings
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