NHS report

jaysay · 12-07-2008, 10:45

As some of you are now aware I've spent a few days in hospial this week and not caught ou nasty

Well here are my impressons of our health service
Ambulance, wonderful both going and coming home,
A and E, first class hardly any waiting, very clean and efficient.
Medical Assessment Unit very good, but could be cleaner, used bed pan in a toilet, had to tell staff who apologised
Ward C6 could not fault the consultants, doctors, or nurses, was very clean and lots of use of hand cleaning gels ect. food not bad for hospital, good choice served piping hot.
Down sides, Car Parking is a rip of (we've already discussed this on here) bedside TV and phone another rip off £2.90 a day, £50 a day with Satanta Sports, £7 for 3 days, £10 fo 5 days calls cost 10p per minute out going, but if people ring you on your own personal number its 48p peak time, 40p per minute off peak, but if someone rings you and is on for over 5 minutes you get an extra hour free TV, big deal.
now my main complaint, discharge, I was told I could go home on Thursday afternoon after lunch on friday 12-30pm we were told we would be transfared to the ew discharge loung at the Ambulance departure, where my tablets to take home would be brought to me, good I thought nealy home and dry, WRONG. arrived t this new loung at 12-40pm and sat waiting for my tabs, just a course of ani bios, and I waited and I waited and I waited. I enquired about 3pm how long would it be and was laughingly told about 5 hours, not funny. was still waiting at 4-15pm then I got annoyed not at the staff but at the system which was obviously flawed. I finally arrive home at 5.37pm a very unhappy bunny and will be writting to the Patient Care Manager today

WillowTheWhisp · 12-07-2008, 10:48

Don't hold your breath Jaysay. I still haven't had a reply.

Bonnyboy · 12-07-2008, 10:57

Hope you get a response jaysay, keep us posted on the events

SPUGGIE J · 12-07-2008, 11:09

Hells bells what a rip off for what to me are nesessities when in hospital ie the phone!!!! As for the after care and discharge that is a disgrace!!! If people have been ill then being happy and cheerful helps recovery but the discharge farce wont help one bit. Maybe it is time to look at the discharge part of a stay and have better controls in place. Based on what you went through Jaysay though I abhore targets and the guff that goes with it they might be need for discharge.

WillowTheWhisp · 12-07-2008, 11:22

The TV/phone thing is a total rip off I agree. What happened to the good old 'day room' where you could sit and watch TV for free? and the pay phone that didn't cost the earth? If you want to make phone calls when you go into hospital take your mobile, but don't expect a great signal! Park Lee seems to have virtually no signal at all!

katex · 12-07-2008, 11:34

Hi Jaysay, wondered where you had gone ... would have brought you some grapes if I had known or the latest Tory bulletins to cheer you up..

I wonder why the prescription took so long ? Must be staff shortages or the system, e.g. does the prescription take time to get from the ward to the pharmacy after a patient is discharged (maybe waiting for doctor's signature) ? Do the chemists concentrate on getting drugs to the wards before discharged patients ? Is it closed at certain times of the day ? etc.

The nurse who informed you was going to be 5 o'clock, must have known why it would take some time because of how the system operates. Think does need an explanation though.

Suspect Jaysay would be in a ward where there is oxygen about, so he may not have been able to use his mobile ?

SPUGGIE J · 12-07-2008, 11:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

Suspect Jaysay would be in a ward where there is oxygen about, so he may not have been able to use his mobile ?

Me I would have technically redistributed for a better use a set of wheels (if able enough) and found some were I could use it. Can see it now Jaysay doing a Lewis Hamilton in the chair with nurses chasing him and winning the race to make a call.

jaysay · 12-07-2008, 11:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

Hi Jaysay, wondered where you had gone ... would have brought you some grapes if I had known or the latest Tory bulletins to cheer you up..

I wonder why the prescription took so long ? Must be staff shortages or the system, e.g. does the prescription take time to get from the ward to the pharmacy after a patient is discharged (maybe waiting for doctor's signature) ? Do the chemists concentrate on getting drugs to the wards before discharged patients ? Is it closed at certain times of the day ? etc.

The nurse who informed you was going to be 5 o'clock, must have known why it would take some time because of how the system operates. Think does need an explanation though.

Suspect Jaysay would be in a ward where there is oxygen about, so he may not have been able to use his mobile ?

My script was ordered at 9am that morning and consisted of 1 item. This discharge loung idea is meant to speed up patient transport, which to a point it does, but not if your waiting for pills and potions. You would think that people siting in this loung would be given priority but they don't, it does ask the question when does patient care finish, when you leave the ward or when you leave the hospital and are home. In my case I had a nebuliser at 9am and was due another at 2pm, so by the time it got to 5-30pm was a little short of breath to say the least. The staff in this new unit were far from happy. infact the staff nurse was on the phone to some one just before I left saying that this was unacceptable. As for the mobile phone thing, there was oxygen on this ward and in constant use, but it didn't stop nearly everybody using the mobiles, although its not allowed. So next time i'm admitted my mobile is going with me, they can stick their 10p phone calls where monkey's shove nuts

jambutty · 12-07-2008, 12:23

We are now reaping the “benefits” of PFI and ancillary services being farmed out to private companies.

This government and the previous lot have been trying to privatise the NHS for ages but public opinion has prevented them. So they do it bit by bit instead.

lettie · 12-07-2008, 12:48

We've had threads on Patientline before. Wasn't it Tony Blair who wanted every patient to have access to a tv and phone? Patientline are a private company who own and maintain all of the machines. They are sometimes nigh on impossible to contact, believe me, I have been trying to have our machines repaired and cleaned for the best part of 3 days and can't get hold of anyone to come and do it.

The discharge procedure sounds like it could do with speeding up a bit (it's different where I work). Maybe Grego will be able to explain a bit better as she knows the pharmacy system. The one thing I can say is that pharmacy is as short staffed as everywhere else. They have to stock every single ward, every individual inpatient and discharge prescription, outpatient prescriptions (where the people waiting for them often become abusive). They also deal with the preparation of the specialised baby feeds for NICU and Paediatrics, Parenteral feeds for the adult wards, all intravenous fluids and gases such as O2, CO2, Entonox, Nitrous Oxide and Medical Air.

jaysay · 12-07-2008, 13:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by lettie

We've had threads on Patientline before. Wasn't it Tony Blair who wanted every patient to have access to a tv and phone? Patientline are a private company who own and maintain all of the machines. They are sometimes nigh on impossible to contact, believe me, I have been trying to have our machines repaired and cleaned for the best part of 3 days and can't get hold of anyone to come and do it.

The discharge procedure sounds like it could do with speeding up a bit (it's different where I work). Maybe Grego will be able to explain a bit better as she knows the pharmacy system. The one thing I can say is that pharmacy is as short staffed as everywhere else. They have to stock every single ward, every individual inpatient and discharge prescription, outpatient prescriptions (where the people waiting for them often become abusive). They also deal with the preparation of the specialised baby feeds for NICU and Paediatrics, Parenteral feeds for the adult wards, all intravenous fluids and gases such as O2, CO2, Entonox, Nitrous Oxide and Medical Air.

I understand what your saying lettie, but when they are putting a new system to work you would have thought that the first thing that had to be put into the equation was the well being of the patient, most patients wer in and out in around half an hour, which is great, but if your waiting for medications its plain stupid. To me he well being of all patients must come 1st 2nd and 3rd, or is it just a case of a bed manager saying get rid as soon as possible we need that bed. maybe it will cake a serious mishap with this new system to make people take notice, then of course it will be nobobies fault, or what they cll a break down it communications. The only trouble is it will be some unfortunate patient who will have to suffer to make these people take notice, then its to late

lettie · 12-07-2008, 14:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaysay

or is it just a case of a bed manager saying get rid as soon as possible we need that bed.

I think you have hit the nail on the head there..

WillowTheWhisp · 12-07-2008, 16:22

A friend of mine was discharged from hospital and a nurse meant to come round next morning to administer medication - but no nurse turned up because they had not been informed, so a patient needing morphine was in severe pain for hours until the nurse finally found out and turned up with the meds.

There does seem to be a breakdown in communication somewhere and although it isn't excusable I can see why some people waiting hours for their prescription before they are able to leave end up getting abusive. It doesn't solve anything though.

cashman · 12-07-2008, 16:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambutty

We are now reaping the “benefits” of PFI and ancillary services being farmed out to private companies.

thats the real "Nub" of this affair.

WillowTheWhisp · 12-07-2008, 16:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by jambutty

We are now reaping the “benefits” of PFI and ancillary services being farmed out to private companies.

This government and the previous lot have been trying to privatise the NHS for ages but public opinion has prevented them. So they do it bit by bit instead.

Yes and in doing so they think we won't notice.