NHS Care?

Well if they can't look after people of this calibre then there really isn't much hope for anyone it appears.

Ex-Cardiff hospital boss Russell Hopkins says NHS a 'mess'

Ignored his pleas and now suffers from waterwork problems.

Re: NHS Care?

"A former general manager of Wales' largest hospital has condemned the state of the NHS, claiming politicians and managers have "messed it up".

I will go along with that.

Re: NHS Care?

The problem is - no one actually does care anymore.

The NHS complains about lack of funds - but no-one monitors how they actually spend their money. The unnecessary wastage is phenomenal. A lot of hospitals are badly managed these days, and caring attentive nurses are a thing of the past.

There was a time when each ward had a Sister, at least one Staff Nurse, one or two Nurses and Auxillaries. The nurses station was in the ward and all patients were cared for properly. These days it is just a farce and Patients are nuisance to be ignored as long as possible. I escaped as soon as I could!

Re: NHS Care?

I would really like to feel surprised by that story Mark but it's all too common now. Our hospital is really bad for using inexperienced doctors in place of consultants which is why I refuse to have anything done at our hospital if the consultant isn't present - I don't want to end up coming out worse than I went in.

Pretty much sums it up for me.

When you think of the two World Wars that British men fought off then think about the last few decades of government, the politicians have achieved what attacking forces couldn't.

Re: NHS Care?

It is so wrong to generalise and tar everyone with the same brush in this way...:...not all hospitals are 'failing' hospitals and you undermine those that do care and are caring.

It's no wonder morale is so low with sweeping statements such as yours.

Re: NHS Care?

The trouble is we all see it when we visit our hospitals I can give you glowing report on one hospital here the ashford hospital was wonderful, lovely staff and very clean, then we visit st peters at Chertsey and what a change, some staff were nice many weren't, filthy doesn't begin to describe it even no running water in the toilet I used !
Guildford hospital I will no longer use as what went on there when my father and later my MIL were in there shocked me to the bone and they both lost their lives one completely out of the blue I mean who dies of a broken ankle these days ? And the inquest was awful the staff were unable to communicate due to 3 different languages being spoken by the 4 people in the operating theatre.

Our local woking hospital is no longer a proper hospital we just have a small injuries unit and out of hours doctor service but what they do they do well.

GP services are dreadful, 3-4 week waits for appointments and then we can only raise one problem per visit so it can take weeks to tell them 3 or 4 symptoms that may well all be the same disease and could depend on knowing it all to diagnose properly !

One hospital not local but down in Kent I truly thought they were trying to kill me ! I was in anaphylactic shock unable to speak, it was only my husband physically knocking the injection needle out of the doctors hands stopped him giving me a drug I was allergic to which could have been the end of me ! Now why didn't the doctor listen to what my husband was telling him ? why did he have to get physical to save my life ? did the doctor not care ?

I don't know what the problem is in some NHS places I have seen vets who treat their clients better than they get treated.

Re: NHS Care?

You are right, I should not generalise - and, for that, I apologise, but I can only speak as I find having worked in the NHS for over 30yrs.

Case 1 - My mother - fractured neck of femur - in traction - supposedly. Every day when I visited the weights were on the floor having dragged her down the bed. Had anyone noticed? No. Did they appreciate it being mentioned? No. Did they tilt the bed to prevent it happening? No.

Case 2 - Elderly, confused, terminally ill patient vanishes from the ward. Had anyone noticed? No. Patient was found - over two hours later sitting in a corridor - crying because she did not know where she was.

Case 3 - elderly man knocks over his urine bottle, spills all over his bed table. Was is cleaned up? No. Nurses not allowed to do that these days - has to be done by Infection Control. In the meantime his lunch arrived and was placed on the wet bedtable!

Case 4 - Patient laid flat on her back. Lunch arrived, put on bedtable. Did anyone help her to sit up? No. When the dishes were collected up again, did anyone notice that she had not eaten anything? No. That situation last for three days!

Case 4 - Computers. Our IT department was granted £6,000,000s to develope an new computer system that would link to Social Services, GPs etc., We were working together with 5 other hospitals and work was going quite well - programmes were being written and tested - the system looked good - then - change of management, and the whole thing was scrapped - all that time/money wasted for no other reason than the new manager wanted to make her own mark!

Case 5 - cleriical officer - working in what had once been a storeroom - asked for a small piece of carpet to put under her desk because the stone floors were so cold. Was refused because 'carpet cost money and there was none to spare'. Clerk leaves on health grounds - room is redecorated, draught-proofed and fitted carpet is laid. Then it is filled with filing cabinets and store cupboards!

It is situations such as those that make me say that standards have slipped and no-one seems to be doing anything about it.

Re: NHS Care?

I too have worked in the NHS for over 35 years and yes things are not all they should be due in the main to government cutbacks and restructuring.

But things 'are being done about it'

Your examples are horrific and it saddens and angers me, but there are still dedicated and hard working professionals working against adversity and yet being tarred as 'uncaring'.

Like I said previously, no wonder morale is at an all time low and nurses are abandoning the profession resulting in recruitment abroad in order to create safe staffing levels.

Re: NHS Care?

You can only speak as you find though ....... right

Re: NHS Care?

When I get good service in hospital or else where I always make a point of either writing or telling the people in charge of the staff how I appreciated them. I hope that goes someway to letting the caring ones know they are not being ignored or worse tarred with the same brush.