NHS frustrations

[PK99]

I've posted here bot negatively (a few years ago St George's of 24 hrs in A&E lost my wife 3 times in 36 hours and discharged her with two undiagnosed fractures, only revealed a few days later at a BUPA hospital).

And positively - my recent experiences at SWLEOC for my ACL repair. 100% positive on all measures.

Today it was George's turn again.

On her way out to work our next door neighbour's wooden driveway gate fell off and landed on Mrs PK's big toe. Much blood and no small amount of pain ensued. I drove her to Queen Mary's Minor Injuries unit, only to find it redirecting all patients to A&E because of lack of staff today.

Off to George's, where I dropped hear at 0945 and headed home. 11:19 she texted saying she had been X-rayed, (broken big toe) strapped, discharged and was ready to go. I headed off to hospital to collect her - had I been waiting, we would have got in the car and left the hospital.

In the meantime, she remembered someone had mentioned anti-biotics which she had not been given. She mentioned this and was sent back into the treatment area, at which point the Consultant got involved and diagnosed an open fracture needing stitches as well as antibiotics. (In the process giving a very raised eyebrow bollocking to the junior doctor first involved) Eventually something like 20 stitches were required.

When I arrived, the front desk said she had been discharged an hour ago - they queried the computer system to try to find her and eventually gave up, letting me through into the treatment area to search for her. I found her blood soaked swabs galore and stitching in progress.

Now, Mrs PK is a savvy 60 year old professional lady, with the balls to query the lack of the promised antibiotics. Had she not been so, she would have been discharged with out a proper diagnosis, without the necessary treatment (stitches) and without the needed antibiotics.

So, my wife has visited St George's A&E twice.

On both occasions she has been lost by the system and I have had to physically search the hospital for her.

On both occasions she has been discharged without proper diagnosis or treatment.

Many aspects of the NHS are fantastic - evidence my experience with SWLEOC

Others are flecking unacceptably poor.

St George's of 24 hours in A&E fame is supposed to be one of the best.

Rant over.

 

[fossyant]

Some are good some are bad. Stockport are good but crazy busy with beds and people all over the show.

They are busting to the seams with old people many of whom have fallen and need a full check up. My MIL has been 3 times in 12 months. This latest time was a small fall and just a couple of bruises but they have to check every thing. She tied a bed up for 30 hours before being discharged. She was fine but youd think she was dying given how she was in A&E. It's pressure on the staff that causes mistakes. We need more walk in centers.

 

[mjr]

Second Conservative-led term. What did you expect? It's amazing it still works as well as it does!

The NHS budget may have been ringfenced, but Colin Hunt's been left in charge too long and funding for all the related services it depends on (Social Care and so on) hasn't kept up with inflation. On top of that, there are even more new drugs which are stonkingly-expensive - for example, there's a new wonder treatment for my chronic illness, which is clinically approved AFAICT, but commissioning groups are being slow to fund it and I can't really blame them at £10-15k/year for each person.

As I've said often, you have to have your wits about you to be ill. If you don't, take someone who does and don't let them go. Take a notepad and pen and keep your own notes.

 

[PK99]

Second Conservative-led term. What did you expect? It's amazing it still works as well as it does!

The NHS budget may have been ringfenced, but Colin Hunt's been left in charge too long and funding for all the related services it depends on (Social Care and so on) hasn't kept up with inflation. On top of that, there are even more new drugs which are stonkingly-expensive - for example, there's a new wonder treatment for my chronic illness, which is clinically approved AFAICT, but commissioning groups are being slow to fund it and I can't really blame them at £10-15k/year for each person.

As I've said often, you have to have your wits about you to be ill. If you don't, take someone who does and don't let them go. Take a notepad and pen and keep your own notes.

My wife's first brush with George's A&E was Xmas 2010 - a few months into the coalition after many years of Labour, my daughter's shameful treatment at Georges* (not mentioned above) was 15 years ago, slap bang in the middle of a Labour government term.

Strip off the party political blinkers and look at the fundamentals..



* 9 years old, nil by mouth from 7pm, for a pre arranged 9am minor treatment in theatre (MUA for finger break across growth plate) - left waiting all day with no information or food, eventually to theatre at 1600 - she was a booked case and no one owned her as a target statistic and the 4 hr A&E statistics took priority in theatre.

 

[classic33]

As a regular A&E visitor(I'd rather not be, anyday). There's too many people trying to impress those above them.

The ones actually working in A&E's, have little to prove. They know what they're doing.

Local A&E is at least three seperate departments for the the same area.
Booking In, is now a private company. They don't have full access to records either.
Triage, seperate and shown as such.
Treatment, If you can be treated in the department that's a big plus. Otherwise you're handed onto a seperate section.
Need to be moved there, you'll be handed over to the In Hospital Patient Transport Team(porters), again two private companies. Paid by results.

All of these have their own managers in the hospital, doing their best to show that they're doing the best.

I've been in more than once when a visiting MP has been "doing the rounds", and I've said what the staff can't say.

 

[oldwheels]

Mebbe I have just been lucky but no complaints about the NHS in Scotland so far. Unfortunately I do have fairly extensive experience of hospitals having only one kidney now and my late wife had several ops. and other Parkinsons related problems. After a hernia op I was so badly bruised and in some pain I went to Oban A & E. Terrible I had to wait at least 15 minutes before being seen by a doctor. The only complaint is mismanagement IMO by NHS Highland which has left us with virtually no dental cover and no permanent GP. Nothing but a series of locums and a variety of sometimes appointments sometimes drop in sessions. I do travel to Glasgow every 6 months for check up and reception is always very helpful as I have a distance to travel and sometimes can take 2 or even 3 days depending on weather conditions. On reflection the food at one hospital (Glasgow Royal ) was pretty foul. It apparently came as prepared meals from Wales but that was some time ago.

 

[classic33]

[QUOTE 4705204, member: 9609"]I visited our local hospital last summer with someone needing an xray - just seemed to be a lot of staff wandering about playing with their mobile phones - a bit like most things these days, the countries grinding to a halt with folk playing with mobile phones. They could probably half the budget and say good bye to waiting lists if they banned staff for taking phones into work.[/QUOTE]
For some they've replaced pagers.

 

[fossyant]

I for one don't ever go to A&E unless it's unavoidable, but they are pretty full with people that don't need to be there. The staff just can't send people away without fully checking. Certainly the care for the elderly is a huge impact on resources in just diagnosing issues, especially if they can't or won't tell people what they have wrong.

My care after the RTA was top notch - whizzed straight through to Resus, and scanned, xrayed etc. Urgent cases get seen to, less urgent, non life threatening stuff has to wait. It's why we need walk in centres - we have nothing in my area like that - even a new large Medical Centre that's not fully occupied even after over 5 years.. a drop in centre would save a lot of time for the A&E.

I've nothing but praise. Remember, it's a waiting and monitoring game when people come in. Ideally you'd possibly have an old person's A&E, like you have a children's - the care needs are different from the regular customers.

 

[classic33]

I for one don't ever go to A&E unless it's unavoidable, but they are pretty full with people that don't need to be there. The staff just can't send people away without fully checking. Certainly the care for the elderly is a huge impact on resources in just diagnosing issues, especially if they can't or won't tell people what they have wrong.

My care after the RTA was top notch - whizzed straight through to Resus, and scanned, xrayed etc. Urgent cases get seen to, less urgent, non life threatening stuff has to wait. It's why we need walk in centres - we have nothing in my area like that - even a new large Medical Centre that's not fully occupied even after over 5 years.. a drop in centre would save a lot of time for the A&E.

I've nothing but praise. Remember, it's a waiting and monitoring game when people come in. Ideally you'd possibly have an old person's A&E, like you have a children's - the care needs are different from the regular customers.

I normally have no say in going to an A&E. If I've to go back, on their orders, I feel as though I'm wasting their time. The last time this happened, the ceiling was the next thing seen.

 

[fossyant]

I normally have no say in going to an A&E. If I've to go back, on their orders, I feel as though I'm wasting their time. The last time this happened, the ceiling was the next thing seen.

That's on their advice, and you are doing as you are told. It's the younger folk that haven't ever fallen off a bike and stub their toe types that get me ! Or the bloke behind me once, going on about cyclists, when I'm sat there in full lycra, torn clothing, struggling to breath due to multiple broken ribs. Him, looked fine to me. I didn't make his condition worse though - I kept quiet.

 

[fossyant]

I normally have no say in going to an A&E. If I've to go back, on their orders, I feel as though I'm wasting their time. The last time this happened, the ceiling was the next thing seen.

PS Don't ever feel like you are wasting their time -you've been told to go back. Better safe than sorry !

 

[fossyant]

We also still have immediate access to the children's ward and staff for my son's Type 1 diabetes. The team at the hospital have been fantastic over the last 3 years since diagnosis. I'd also echo a cycling mate's opinion of the NHS - his two kids have serious heart conditions, and he has nothing but praise for the staff.

I've had some really crap surgery in the past for minor 'local anaesthetic' stuff that has caused me 4 years of pain so far, and needing medication. But crap happens. When the 'sh@t hits the fan' the NHS are there to fix us up without a huge bill like in the US.

 

[classic33]

PS Don't ever feel like you are wasting their time -you've been told to go back. Better safe than sorry !

I've been in and seen people being wheeled in, with tubes coming from everywhere, or so it seems. They'll require more care than I will. But you'll still have people moaning about having to wait to be seen.

 

[fossyant]

I got dirty looks when I was wheeled past the big queue in a bed, and in a body brace.

 

[Brains]

Personally my single experience in over half a century with the NHS was good.

However I like to know from a medical professional how many day you would expect a non-complicated gall bladder treatment and removal to take
(If the answer is 9 nights in the day ward of a hospital, then fine)