Should We Write A letter Of Complaint?

[Royboy39]

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

Well I can tell you that the consultants do not come round every day, at least not on that ward. As for the dressing not being changed why should the patient be responsible for telling the staff it needs doing. It was the nurse coming back on duty after three days off who wasn't happy about this. We were told mum needed an x-ray but three days later she hadn't had it so my sister asked and was told it would be pushed for that day and loe and behold she was taken that day!!!
No where in my post did I accuse anybody of neglect, so stop trying to stir it. I think the hospital is woefully understaffed and our concerns need to be pointed out to management.

Read my post in the context that it was given.....I am not trying to stir it for anyone.........if as you say the dressing needing changing who's decision was that?
Who told you your Mum needed an X-Ray?......Who told your Mum that she should have Physio? and when?

All it needs is for a patient to say 'can you look at my dressing nurse I'm not happy with it'.

My daughter is a nursing sister at Blackburn Royal and I would think that she along, with her staff would take exception to the claim that a patient was not being looked after.

[cherokee]

Bernie Have you reported it to the ward sister?
I would personally put my worries to her before I took the next step. At least you can say you have approached the nessessary staff first.
If your mum is home now Agree you need to write a letter and get some answers as to why things were left like that. Good luck love

[BERNADETTE]

Originally Posted by Royboy39

Read my post in the context that it was given.....I am not trying to stir it for anyone.........if as you say the dressing needing changing who's decision was that?
Who told you your Mum needed an X-Ray?......Who told your Mum that she should have Physio? and when?

All it needs is for a patient to say 'can you look at my dressing nurse I'm not happy with it'.

My daughter is a nursing sister at Blackburn Royal and I would think that she along, with her staff would take exception to the claim that a patient was not being looked after.

Fair enough take exception they can, I don't know who told her she needed an x-ray but it was obviously true because after some prompting from my sister she was taken for one. She was told physio would start on Wednesday and once again it took a prompt from my sister to get that moving on Friday. As for the dressing it was a nurse who had been off for three days who was not happy about that as I have already said. As I said before they are very understaffed but I will now be raising the matter with management.

[Royboy39]

Originally Posted by BERNADETTE

Fair enough take exception they can, I don't know who told her she needed an x-ray but it was obviously true because after some prompting from my sister she was taken for one. She was told physio would start on Wednesday and once again it took a prompt from my sister to get that moving on Friday. As for the dressing it was a nurse who had been off for three days who was not happy about that as I have already said. As I said before they are very understaffed but I will now be raising the matter with management.

Come on Bernie...the questions that I asked are the questions that will be asked of you if you make a complaint.
Is your sister or you for that matter qualified to make these assumptions.
'I don't know who told her'......It could have been some know all who had no idea of the situation.
Think carefully.....discuss it with your sister if you must and put your head in gear before making a complete fool of yourself or your sister.
I know you love your Mum as we all do but think objectively...is she alive..are we grateful she is alive...and thank god for the doctors an nursing staff that she is alive.

[keetah992000]

hi bernie - yes you should - my sister works on the elderly wards - if you forgive my phrasing and she says that some nurses thee are only in it to pay the bills - that kind of job - well you need to want to do it - so i would because no matter what, whistle blowing is never a good thing - so staff will never speak out - so its over to you xx best of luck x

[Royboy39]

Originally Posted by Royboy39

Come on Bernie...the questions that I asked are the questions that will be asked of you if you make a complaint.
Is your sister or you for that matter qualified to make these assumptions.
'I don't know who told her'......It could have been some know all who had no idea of the situation.
Think carefully.....discuss it with your sister if you must and put your head in gear before making a complete fool of yourself or your sister.
I know you love your Mum as we all do but think objectively...is she alive..are we grateful she is alive...and thank god for the doctors an nursing staff that she is alive.

Too busy to respond at the moment.........Playing games...never mind.
Maybe tomorrow...

[steeljack]

just curious if there is a set nurse to patient ratio in NHS hospitals , here in California the law says one nurse for every 5 patients on a general care ward
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...AG2L9MKQO1.DTL

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Royboy39

My daughter is a nursing sister at Blackburn Royal and I would think that she along, with her staff would take exception to the claim that a patient was not being looked after.

I think that a vast number of Nurses, Doctors, support staff etc in hospitals are neglegent and the majority of the rest just turn a blind eye.

My wife was recently in hospital and saw all sorts of things that should not be happening.

Dirty laundry being put onto a table that had been cleaned that was not cleaned again before the next patient took that bed (and table)

A member of staff emptying cups of tea/coffee down the ward sink and the putting the cups and saucers into a basket with the dirty laundry because, as I heard her say to one of the patients "there is no point comming back with the tea trolley when I am already here".

Staff not washing there hands before/after dealing with patients.

There were more neglegent actions but I can't remember them at the moment.

When she was in after having one of our children they mixed up her medication chart and said she had already had her pain relief when she had not.

Another time they put someone else baby monitor printout on her notes which was a little obvious because she was in for bed rest and not in labour.

Doctors wearing wrist watches is not allowed as they can not wash there hands correctly.

I think those of you that think everything is done correctly in hospitals need to open their eyes and be more aware of what is happening around them.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Neil, you may not think that complaints are listened to, but after working for almost 30 years in the NHS, I know that they are fully investigated. I have been retired for almost 6 years now, but I recall the complaints Dept at what is now the RBH to be very robust.
I, and my staff, were called into question whenever a complaint was received. All those who were involved in the care of the patient were required to complete statements.....that patient or their relative was kept informed of the progress of the complaint(and we were required to deal with the complaint within a certain time scale).....Once the statements were completed, the patient or their representative were invited to attend a meeting to outline what had happened and what would be done to ensure a similar scenario didn't occur again.

I know i did everything in my power to make sure that we didn't get complaints.....and we had a notice board on our ward where all complaints and their outcomes was recorded.

[onlyme]

Why not do it, not particularly as a 'complaint', but more, 'a few concerns'.

Word it entirely different, asking why, as oppose to complaining.

I think the vast majority of staff in the hospitals do an absolutely amazing job, and without the financial awards they deserve, but there is only so much they can do. You get one difficult patient, or a patient that needs more care than normal, and their already overstretched resources struggle to cope, meaning that the patients that are not critical, are sometimes overlooked somewhat.

I hope your mum is now on the road to recovery

[pipinfort]

Its a well know fact that the British don`t complain enough, if you are not happy you must complain.....i certainly don`t have any quarms about doing it.

[jaysay]

I think the thing is that if nobody brings the little things to the attention of the hospital management then everything gust bumps along in the same way. The fact that Bernie's mum din't have her dressing changed has far reaching implications especially with the current scare over MRSA. However, I do agree with Margaret P. when she says that complaints are taken seriously, because the powers that be cannot afford not to in todays climate of media scrutiny.

[garinda]

If you are unhappy I would write a letter of complaint. If things aren't highlighted there's little chance of them being fixed.

I visited someone last weekend in hospital. They were put in a private room, as they were violentally ill, and they weren't sure if what they had was contagious.

This room had it's own bathroom. A bathroom with a notice saying what had been checked by the cleaning contractors, yet this bathroom was literally filthy, covered in various bodily fluids of the last occupant. It made a mockery of the concern of cross contamination.

The person who I was visiting didn't receive a identifying wristband until she had been there for 48 hours, and then only after we'd made a fuss.

I feel sorry for those too ill, or old, or without friends and family, to keep making a fuss to ensure the patient is getting adequate care.

[katex]

I certainly think you should Bernie, but agree with OnlyMe ... showing concern, etc.

The two complaints are not to be ignored I feel, and quite serious, unlike a complaint a patient made against my daughter 'cause her tea was less than hot before she had chance to get it to her ! Sometimes the patient's right to complain is abused too ... Not in your case though.

The authorities will surely understand is not a personal complaint aimed at the nurses, but at the whole problem of shortages in nursing staff.

[BERNADETTE]

Originally Posted by Royboy39

Come on Bernie...the questions that I asked are the questions that will be asked of you if you make a complaint.
Is your sister or you for that matter qualified to make these assumptions.
'I don't know who told her'......It could have been some know all who had no idea of the situation.
Think carefully.....discuss it with your sister if you must and put your head in gear before making a complete fool of yourself or your sister.
I know you love your Mum as we all do but think objectively...is she alive..are we grateful she is alive...and thank god for the doctors an nursing staff that she is alive.

Neither my sister nor I need to be qualified to assume anything, mum was told what would be happening and it didn't. I can accept that the x-ray wasn't urgent or it would have been done sooner. My only reason for writing this letter is to make management aware of the problems that understaffing is causing.
Yes we are glad and grateful that mum is alive but does that mean we should be happy with care that is not adequate? Writing this letter needs to be done and I'm sure the nurses who are members on here agree with me. It is them after all who are having to struggle because there aren't enough staff.