Nhs

peter_the_piper

I know the NHS are strapped for cash but to ask my MIL to inject her own anti-coagulent agent after coming home from a knee op is a bit much. Why not go the whole hog and let me do the op!!!!!!!!!!!Save them a fortune.

Gabriel-Ernest

That does seem harsh of them; people can be very shaky after an op.

andyrules

Thought that was the kind of task a community nurse would do. Or has their role been axed now?

peter_the_piper

Don't know, we are out in the sticks but this should not make a difference. They really mean it as they've given her a leaflet as well on how to do it. Haynes type manuals next on open heart surgery.

debsue

Come on its not that difficult. They would have instructed her to do it before she left. Do you really want to wait around all day waiting for a nurse to call? Kids with diabetes inject themselves, this is only for a few days, get on with it.

Wishing her a speedy recovery

1jim

This has been common practice for many years, its partly to free up resources to allow Nurses to deal with patients that cant care for themselves, and partly to allow the patient to have some degree of control of their condition, the anticoagulants are usually only used for a few days or until the patient is more mobile. It is a very simple procedure to do (and is exactly the same as a diabetic injecting insulin). The nurses on the ward should have asked if it was ok for you mil to do this and shown her the technique and made sure that she was doing it ok.
To be honest though if your MIL had a problem with this arrangment she should have told the Nurses this before discharge so alternative arrangments could have been made.
Anyway hope she is OK and on the mend

peter_the_piper

Not yet in hospital, due on 1st. I don't think she's capable of injecting herself really, the thought is worrying her more than the operation.

allycat999

Tell your MIL not to worry, if she feels truly incapable of doing it and another family member does not feel able or want to do it then the district nurse will come out and do it.
Good luck for the op.

rammster

this is a common practice in most scandinavian countries. It is wastage of resources getting district nurses to do it. However if a patient is not OK with it then they could visit a GP practice or a District nurse could come to them.

CarolnMalky

I personally would rather do it myself, than tie up a nurses time to do a simple injection-but that's my opinion...if your MIL isn't sure how to do it, explain this to the nurse at her doctors surgery and they should be able to show her how to do injections, you usually get to practice with an orange and a syringe.

I hope all goes well.

looby75

if your mil is worried about this then please please encourage her to talk to the nurses who look after her after her op. They will be more than happy to talk her through what she needs to do and if she still isn't happy with injecting herself by the time she is discharges they will arrange for alternative care for her.

This isn't just a money cutting exercise, it's very much about giving patience choice of care and making it easier for them to get back to normal asap once they are out of hospital.