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Patient 'lay Dead' In London A&e For 'hours' Before Being Found
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No it's not, sadly. Doesn't surprise me at all.
08:06 Wed 06th Jul 2016
NoMercy, //Naomi, you keep citing "appalling waste" but could you please give me a specific example? //
Yes, I’ll give you an example – in fact I’ll give you two. As I’ve already said, my husband went into hospital for a fairly minor operation involving just an overnight stay. He contracted MRSA. That resulted in several lengthy stays in hospital over the course of a year, the hire of special equipment, and several further operations – one involving 11 hours of very specialist and intricate plastic surgery – and all that for the want of an efficient cleaner armed with bit of bleach. How much did that cost the NHS?
On another occasion I sat with a terminally ill lady awaiting the arrival of an ambulance the GP had organised. We waited for over 11 hours, during which time I received several calls from the control centre, and two completely unnecessary visits from paramedics who had travelled over 20 miles to get to us and couldn’t help anyway. When the ambulance finally arrived, the crew told me how busy they were, and I had every sympathy with them. However, upon arrival at the hospital that sympathy dissipated somewhat when after handing the patient over to the staff, they accompanied her to the ward and waited until she was settled in (the rules, they told me). They then spent another half an hour or more chatting to me until I finally reminded them they had sick people waiting for them. All in all they were with us for about three hours. How much did that cost the NHS?
Yes, I’ll give you an example – in fact I’ll give you two. As I’ve already said, my husband went into hospital for a fairly minor operation involving just an overnight stay. He contracted MRSA. That resulted in several lengthy stays in hospital over the course of a year, the hire of special equipment, and several further operations – one involving 11 hours of very specialist and intricate plastic surgery – and all that for the want of an efficient cleaner armed with bit of bleach. How much did that cost the NHS?
On another occasion I sat with a terminally ill lady awaiting the arrival of an ambulance the GP had organised. We waited for over 11 hours, during which time I received several calls from the control centre, and two completely unnecessary visits from paramedics who had travelled over 20 miles to get to us and couldn’t help anyway. When the ambulance finally arrived, the crew told me how busy they were, and I had every sympathy with them. However, upon arrival at the hospital that sympathy dissipated somewhat when after handing the patient over to the staff, they accompanied her to the ward and waited until she was settled in (the rules, they told me). They then spent another half an hour or more chatting to me until I finally reminded them they had sick people waiting for them. All in all they were with us for about three hours. How much did that cost the NHS?
I was discharged from hospital on Monday. The surgeon said I could go at 8.30am, and I was waiting for pharmacy to do my discharge meds till 3.30.
Did that make me a bed blocker? I think so...why couldn't I have been moved to an area in massive fancy ground floor? (St Mary's, Manchester)
Baths
x x x
Did that make me a bed blocker? I think so...why couldn't I have been moved to an area in massive fancy ground floor? (St Mary's, Manchester)
Baths
x x x
Firstly, Naomi, I'm sorry for everything your husband went through. It was probably partly due to inefficient cleaning, but MRSA and other antibiotic resistant superbugs came about by misuse of antibiotics. However you try telling that to someone with a sore throat of viral origin. How much it cost the NHS is difficult for anyone to quantify but suffice it to say a he'll of a lot. Superbugs are manmade and a battle we could well do without.
As for your second example, I don't have a lot of specifics to go on. You say two paramedics attended unnecessarily and couldn't help anyway. In fairness, how would any medically trained person know that unless they saw the patient? Would your GP diagnose a patient's skin condition over the phone or would he need to physically see it for himself before deciding whether it's dermatitis, psoriasis or pityriasis versicolor?
I suspect paramedics were deployed in the best interest of the patient, in case she were acutely Ill. I can understand complaining at insufficient care, but not complaining at exemplary care.
As for your second example, I don't have a lot of specifics to go on. You say two paramedics attended unnecessarily and couldn't help anyway. In fairness, how would any medically trained person know that unless they saw the patient? Would your GP diagnose a patient's skin condition over the phone or would he need to physically see it for himself before deciding whether it's dermatitis, psoriasis or pityriasis versicolor?
I suspect paramedics were deployed in the best interest of the patient, in case she were acutely Ill. I can understand complaining at insufficient care, but not complaining at exemplary care.
Older people don't get the food in hospital unless family come to feed them, some tend to keep quiet, not cause a fuss, I've been there, seems to happen everywhere, I'm talking of HSE,I see families come feed their older relatives, I've often called over visitors to tell them their relative hasn't eaten as the food is served, the staff come back in few minutes, take away trays, nurses don't know who ate or didn't. I Had a sore thumb one day pressing my buzzer because the feeble man across from me was falling out of the bed, a drip in his arm came loose and there was blood all over the place and people have died on trolleys before being seen to - then our midlands hospital is notorious. Another time I was in, my neighbour was there too, her daughter cares for her, she has to get thickener in her drinks, her breakfast with pot of tea was left in front of her and I starved that morning as I fed my neighbour and tried to work out how you make that thick drink in her tea, something to do with her swallow
NoMercy, //MRSA and other antibiotic resistant superbugs came about by misuse of antibiotics.//
However these bugs originated it comes as no surprise that private hospitals don’t experience the high levels of hospital acquired infection that NHS hospitals have experienced in recent years - simply because they are clean. That said, I believe NHS hospitals are now taking positive steps to remedy the situation – our local hospital is at least - and not before time.
//Would your GP diagnose a patient's skin condition over the phone//
The GP had seen the patient and deemed it necessary that she be hospitalised. I didn’t need a diagnosis from a medically unqualified telephone operator. It wasn’t until I finally asked the woman at the control centre if, by sending uncalled for paramedics she was overriding the GP’s recommendation, that an ambulance finally arrived – post haste!!. Perhaps she sensed yet another complaint about to erupt!!
Incidentally, a friend of ours, in hospital with a heart condition, said he sat for a week looking at an abandoned sandwich lying under the bed opposite. We laughed - but it's not really funny, is it.
However these bugs originated it comes as no surprise that private hospitals don’t experience the high levels of hospital acquired infection that NHS hospitals have experienced in recent years - simply because they are clean. That said, I believe NHS hospitals are now taking positive steps to remedy the situation – our local hospital is at least - and not before time.
//Would your GP diagnose a patient's skin condition over the phone//
The GP had seen the patient and deemed it necessary that she be hospitalised. I didn’t need a diagnosis from a medically unqualified telephone operator. It wasn’t until I finally asked the woman at the control centre if, by sending uncalled for paramedics she was overriding the GP’s recommendation, that an ambulance finally arrived – post haste!!. Perhaps she sensed yet another complaint about to erupt!!
Incidentally, a friend of ours, in hospital with a heart condition, said he sat for a week looking at an abandoned sandwich lying under the bed opposite. We laughed - but it's not really funny, is it.
Two weeks ago in a CCU ward a staff nurse noticed my cannular translucent dressing had loads of congealed blood underneath it which had leaked from the needle entry. She said she would change it. I replied that it had been in over one week and was overdue to be removed and re-sited. The date of insertion is written on the dressing and should be changed every three days. She said that was, 'old practice' and they didn't do that any more. A day before I discharged myself I noticed deep reddening of the site with swelling and pain. I insisted that the cannular be removed as it had been severely infected. A nurse threw a papier mache bowl on my bed containing micropore and lint and said he would come back later. My wife and sons were visiting at the time. I waited about 90mins for a nurse to remove it. My wife could have done it in 30 secs. The wound was covered and the nurse said nothing. A senior sister in the discharge lounge asked me what happened to my swollen hand whilst awaiting my discharge drugs. I related the above and she demanded to know what ward it was as she was appalled.
At one stage of my incarceration in CCU I was put in a single room. This room was an isolation room for patients with D&V having contracted Novo Virus. I had no virus but the bed was the only one left.
My wife sat on the easy chair next to my bed one day on visiting and noticed that the cushion sagged. She thought the webbing straps underneath had broken. She lifted the cushion and the smell that emanated was gagging. There was ,what appeared, dried and encrusted human faeces ( diahorrea) on both sides of the cushion, underneath it and on the strapping underneath. She took it out into the corridor outside the room and photographed it. When a passing nurse asked what the chair was doing outside the room he was told in no uncertain terms and we just got a shrug.
So much for the cleaning standards in a NHS CCU ward. I would rather die at home than in that pig sty and discharged myself to my GP safe and capable hands. My old time trained nurse has had a good deal to do with my continued recovery at my 'clean home'!!
ened
At one stage of my incarceration in CCU I was put in a single room. This room was an isolation room for patients with D&V having contracted Novo Virus. I had no virus but the bed was the only one left.
My wife sat on the easy chair next to my bed one day on visiting and noticed that the cushion sagged. She thought the webbing straps underneath had broken. She lifted the cushion and the smell that emanated was gagging. There was ,what appeared, dried and encrusted human faeces ( diahorrea) on both sides of the cushion, underneath it and on the strapping underneath. She took it out into the corridor outside the room and photographed it. When a passing nurse asked what the chair was doing outside the room he was told in no uncertain terms and we just got a shrug.
So much for the cleaning standards in a NHS CCU ward. I would rather die at home than in that pig sty and discharged myself to my GP safe and capable hands. My old time trained nurse has had a good deal to do with my continued recovery at my 'clean home'!!
ened
OH care in private hospitals was neglectful. Being incontinent (with en suite) there was still feaces over his hands & covering his bed, room & en suite. There was a fresh plate of petit fours delivered in the stench I walked into. Requests for cleaners were ignored by nurses merrily chatting at their station. I donned rubber gloves, washed OH & cleaned his bed, furniture & suite which insurers were paying £500pd. After his demise & following court case his private consultant wrote me an apology.....I told him "fat lot of good that is sfter your neglect"!
//Private hospitals have lower rates of hospital acquired infection because they are clean. //
They are also "clean" of the politicised management staff, who's only function appears to be deliberate obstruction of the dedicated medical staff, in order to protect their own dysfunctional positions in a bloated organisation. There were more "managers" present (only during the weekday periods mind) than nurses and porters or cleaners put together. I was in a 20 patient unit and there were 15 managers and their "admin lackeys". There's a joke, I had at one time 4 different sets of patient medical records on the loose which kept disappearing and reappearing at random. The nurses were frantic every time they came on duty because what they had logged and signed of the shift before had gone and a set of ghost records had been substituted that were days out of date
They are also "clean" of the politicised management staff, who's only function appears to be deliberate obstruction of the dedicated medical staff, in order to protect their own dysfunctional positions in a bloated organisation. There were more "managers" present (only during the weekday periods mind) than nurses and porters or cleaners put together. I was in a 20 patient unit and there were 15 managers and their "admin lackeys". There's a joke, I had at one time 4 different sets of patient medical records on the loose which kept disappearing and reappearing at random. The nurses were frantic every time they came on duty because what they had logged and signed of the shift before had gone and a set of ghost records had been substituted that were days out of date
As a pro op procedure I was MSRA swabbed three times as my aortic stent op was cancelled twice at a NHS hospital.
I was admitted by ambulance and GP referral to my local hospital twice as a result of serious side effects from the original op. i.e. Acute Kidney damage plus suspected cardio event, Soaring high BP and extreme difficulty in breathing to name a few. At no time when I was in the second local hospital where I was placed in four different wards at various times was I swabbed for MSRA.
I was admitted by ambulance and GP referral to my local hospital twice as a result of serious side effects from the original op. i.e. Acute Kidney damage plus suspected cardio event, Soaring high BP and extreme difficulty in breathing to name a few. At no time when I was in the second local hospital where I was placed in four different wards at various times was I swabbed for MSRA.
//Bottom line, if we had more money we'd have more staff. //
That is the problem in a nutshell. More staff meaning "more non medical staff, who see the NHS as a vehicle to guarantee themselves a lifetime of non productive employment and a nice pension with large ones all round. How much exactly is enough money? It matters not a jot how much money is thrown at it, matters is where the money is being diverted to. Every increase in the NHS budget just sees a corresponding rise in the management regime who can then shout even louder that "we need more money". Funny how hospital admin never goes on strike, are they afraid that the system would actually run better without them? It puts me in mind of the dedicated secretary or cashier who hasn't taken a holiday for decades is eventually exposed as an embezzler. They cant take time off because they know they will be discovered, so they protect their position of "trust" by ensuring that no one can discover what they been up to.
That is the problem in a nutshell. More staff meaning "more non medical staff, who see the NHS as a vehicle to guarantee themselves a lifetime of non productive employment and a nice pension with large ones all round. How much exactly is enough money? It matters not a jot how much money is thrown at it, matters is where the money is being diverted to. Every increase in the NHS budget just sees a corresponding rise in the management regime who can then shout even louder that "we need more money". Funny how hospital admin never goes on strike, are they afraid that the system would actually run better without them? It puts me in mind of the dedicated secretary or cashier who hasn't taken a holiday for decades is eventually exposed as an embezzler. They cant take time off because they know they will be discovered, so they protect their position of "trust" by ensuring that no one can discover what they been up to.
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