NHS frustrations

[fossyant]

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)

That's not good, but I've done my 47 days on a trot in hospital, and my mate did over 100. He was more mobile than me, but ended up in an old person's ward due to his condition (type 1 diabetic who was losing his toes at 45). He experienced the rough end of patients wandering around naked, shouting, throwing human waste. He is still full of praise for the NHS.

 

[MarkF]

I work in A&E. Front line staff are great, can't speak highly enough of the nurses and doctors, the management are clueless. At times, you have to wait so long because so many people are "short of breath" (really), or have a cat bite, or a finger nail is loose.

 

[classic33]

I work in A&E. Front line staff are great, can't speak highly enough of the nurses and doctors, the management are clueless. At times, you have to wait so long because so many people are "short of breath" (really), or have a cat bite, or a finger nail is loose.

Or "they've cut their nails too short, and their going out tonight" and want something doing about it. I felt like saying don't cut them as short next time, but it'd have been the nurses she'd have taken it out on, not me.

 

[fossyant]

I work in A&E. Front line staff are great, can't speak highly enough of the nurses and doctors, the management are clueless. At times, you have to wait so long because so many people are "short of breath" (really), or have a cat bite, or a finger nail is loose.

You are a Saint... I couldn't work with the patients... It needs a quick triage, and off with a plaster, but, and the big but, is the claim culture.

 

[fossyant]

[QUOTE 4705445, member: 9609"]On a more positive note to my other post - I visited the A&E a couple of years back after I had got something in my eye and I couldn't flush it out myself. Went over late evening, took myself a fllask of coffee and some suduko puzzles to keep myself amused for the expected huge wait. On my arrival a nurse took my details and assessed the problem, she wnet away and within a minute was back with a doctor, another 5 or 10 minutes the offending thing was carefully removed and I was on my way home, everyone was lovely and very professional, the way it should be - 10 out of 10 (and that level of praise is rare from me so it must have been outstandingly good)[/QUOTE]

Time Management - fix the quick fixes an off you go !

 

[MarkF]

[QUOTE 4705445, member: 9609"]On a more positive note to my other post - I visited the A&E a couple of years back after I had got something in my eye and I couldn't flush it out myself. Went over late evening, took myself a fllask of coffee and some suduko puzzles to keep myself amused for the expected huge wait. On my arrival a nurse took my details and assessed the problem, she wnet away and within a minute was back with a doctor, another 5 or 10 minutes the offending thing was carefully removed and I was on my way home, everyone was lovely and very professional, the way it should be - 10 out of 10 (and that level of praise is rare from me so it must have been outstandingly good)[/QUOTE]

Depends where you are, I dislocated my finger at work in A&E, I got on my motorbike and rode 15 miles to Otley A&E and was in and out in 20 mins. I know it is there and lightly used. In an inner City A&E too many people know the jargon (key words) that will get you seen.

 

[classic33]

Best example I can say I've seen is whilst on a ward(over 30 beds). A trainee nurse collapsed. The Sister-In-Charge, supposed to be a stickler for the rules, ordered her to be placed on one of the empty beds.

Whilst this was taking place, she'd a phonecall about her mother. Brief period followed in which the other Nurses were trying to convince her to go, they'd manage without her. She went, but only when she was satisfied they could cope and the trainee was okay.

Whilst she was away a doctor ordered the trainee be taken to a staff area. Something questioned by the the Sister on her return. She sent for the dr concerned, making it clear who it was who had got her placed on the bed in the first place and why was she moved.

She asked for, and got, an apology from the doctor along with a round of applause from the ward. She then went on to finish her shift and cover for someone else on the next shift.

That's the sort of thing that will never make headlines anywhere though.

 

[Cubist]

[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]
I had my hip replaced three weeks ago. Every nurse had a tablet/smartphone which they used to update your notes as they treated you, gave out meds, or monitored BP , heartrae and temperature. Welcome to 2017.

 

[PaulB]

I can't tell you how annoyed I was reading all the contributions above and found NOT ONE SINGLE INCIDENT of a child with a saucepan stuck on his head! Come on people, NEVER forget the fundamentals of our Health Service and the ubiquitous kid waiting in A&E with an immovable pan wedged tight on his (and it's always a boy) bonce.

 

[TheDoctor]

I'm almost tempted to go and put a saucepan on my head right now!

 

[classic33]

I can't tell you how annoyed I was reading all the contributions above and found NOT ONE SINGLE INCIDENT of a child with a saucepan stuck on his head! Come on people, NEVER forget the fundamentals of our Health Service and the ubiquitous kid waiting in A&E with an immovable pan wedged tight on his (and it's always a boy) bonce.

Non-stick nowadays aren't they?

 

[Cubist]

[QUOTE 4705578, member: 9609"]they keep patient notes on their personal mobile phones, is that secure ?

anyway, the two at reception were watching youtube videos, I know this as I asked what was so funny, they showed me a very funny clip of a dog and a big puddle of water - the reality of 2017[/QUOTE]
Not personal mobile phones, they were issued smartphones/tablets.

Yes, they are secure. As an example West Yorks Police use Samsung tablets. An officer at an incident can update the various force systems direct from the tablet. They have mobile data,.MiFi units in the cars and a VPN connection that can use a household WiFi router to send and synchronise entries made on the tablet securely to a main storage server.

 

[classic33]

[QUOTE 4705669, member: 76"]We all know laughter is the best medicine, unless you have cancer, then it's probably chemotherapy.

And where has @PK99 gone in this thread?[/QUOTE]
They've put him under.

 

[Saluki]

I am very fond of the NHS and A&E departments. They have excellent staff, mostly.
I did have an issue with a nurse who told me off for coming in with a 'tiny cut' when it was a dog bite straight through my hand. She sent me away and I didn't go but found a doctor and explained, to the very busy chap, about my tiny cut. He took one look at it and sent me back to my cubicle and called another doc down and 2 hours later, I was under the knife having a nicked tendon fixed. Thanks to that doc I have a mostly functioning hand. I knew that it wasn't a tiny cut, on account of being there when that Malamute bit straight through my hand and out the other side.

I used to ride horses for a living, when younger, so have seen my fair share of casualty units and I've found them to be overworked due to numpties with sore throats and colds who can't be bothered to ring their GP. But the triage nurse seems to deal with them very efficiently.

Hubster is on dialysis, 3 times a week and he has just been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and some heart issues. One of the dialysis nurses noticed he was having problems with his hands and that he seemed breathless when he walks. Unlike my pals in America, we did not have to pay for this diagnosis and unlike someone I know in America, is unlikely to die because he can't afford the treatment.

People knock the NHS but it's doing the best it can with a government who seem hell bent on running it into the ground so they can sell it off to their mates. Sure, you might have to wait for an op but the people within the NHS are working away and are utterly brilliant, dedicated people. Bad apples get everywhere but they are not the norm.

 

[PaulB]

Non-stick nowadays aren't they?

HEADS? I don't really know.