Too Posh to Wash

teajug

The government think tank wants it mandatory for family and friend to care for their families in hospital ie to take them to toilet and bathing and feeding. It is mandatory for jury service but you are paid for it. Would be the same for employers to do the same. Also what about people with no families.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/373680/Families-told-to-nurse-patients

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2269001/Patients-families-told-help-nurses-feed-wash-hospitals-controversial-report-pressures-NHS.html

margaretclare

DH and I were talking about this at lunch-time.

Depends what you mean by 'family and friend'. There would be no problem if it were the 2 of us - obviously we should do all this for each other without question. If we were able to. I reminded him that visitors are not allowed in a NHS ward at meal-times. The last time I visited him while he was in hospital I had to leave between 5 and 6. DH said that if it were me and if I were incapable of feeding myself he would not leave. 'They would not throw me out' he said. Nor would I allow myself to be thrown out, in like case.

However, what if it was someone alone, someone widowed, someone with no 'family or friend' close by? Even if there was someone close at hand, who might well be intimidated into leaving because that's the rule at hospital meal-times?

At the Spire Wellesley, the private hospital near us, there are no restrictions on visiting at any time during the day whether mealtimes or not.

PasturesNew

The last time one of my parents was in hospital, I did the daily 40 mile round trip to the hospital to choose their dinner for them on the card and made sure they had a drink and hadn't lost their slippers... it was costing me £8/day (fuel/parking) and I was limited to only two short visiting slots allowed per day, one 2-4pm and one 7-8pm

margaretclare

PasturesNew wrote: »

The last time one of my parents was in hospital, I did the daily 40 mile round trip to the hospital to choose their dinner for them on the card and made sure they had a drink and hadn't lost their slippers... it was costing me £8/day (fuel/parking) and I was limited to only two short visiting slots allowed per day, one 2-4pm and one 7-8pm

So you weren't allowed in at meal-times either? If your parent needed help with eating, you weren't allowed to be there?

Biggles

It's going to be quite a test of a friendship if you are called upon to wipe somebody's backside for them.

This is an appalling idea; only people who've never had to care for a sick relative would have suggested this. There are going to be a lot of accidents arising from untrained people helping in bathrooms and toilets.

Oh, and you aren't paid for jury service, you can only claim expenses incurred.

lemontart

all well and good but with limited visiting times there could be issues with waiting all day for wash or to use toilet etc and then come allotted visiting times a case of join the que and hope you get in before visiting hours are up..

Errata

2020Health isn't a government think tank, it's just a bog standard think tank in the business of making money for itself.

hnswst

With links to private health care companies.....

soolin

When my father was ill I used to turn up in the morning and stay until I was ready to leave . A few times they tried to throw me out but I refused and I was right to do so because when I went away on business he ended up on the social services 'at risk' register as the hospital basically ignored him as he had severe dementia and could do nothing for himself.

Most of the wards were locked down so my only difficulty was getting out and back again if I needed the loo. If I left the ward I would have to wait to follow a Doctor or nurse in with a fob key otherwise they refused me access.

On one occasion when he was first ill he was admitted to a secure hospital and I ended up arguing with them as they wouldn't make a bed up for him and wanted my 80 year old frail dad who was distressed as he couldn't find his mother ( a common theme when the dementia took hold) sit in a chair all night. I eventually gothim comfortable in a bed and they ejected me into the grounds but the site was locked down completely and they refused to let me out. I had to crawl under a hole in a wire fence to get out at 1am in the morning, and I'm no spring chicken. I fully expect that to appear in one of those CCTV type programmes one day.

So after a long post I really just wanted to say that there is already quite a lot of care being given to patients in hospital by family and friends.

Arthurian

There must be some sons or daughters who have been treated appallingly by their parents. I wonder what would happen if they refused to care for their parents in hospital. Maybe this private think tank suggests getting in private carers and sending the bill to the sons or daughters?

Arthurian

And I remember firemen not rescuing a man from a 3ft deep lake, since health and safety rules meant they had to be trained to level two, and they were only trained to level one (OK for ankle deep water). So who gets to be taken to court when someone chokes - presumably the relative who was not trained in level 2 spoon-feeding?