FURIOUS with the negligent, incompetent NHS

KittyKate

I am so, so ANGRY with the NHS. Not one person in particular, but the system. Yes, the staff are overworked and underpaid. The NHS is under-funded. But the list of utter negligence I've collected over the past 2 month beggars belief. Surely the buck must stop somewhere.

Now, both my parents are sick. My mum is in treatment for cancer, and my dad had a stroke almost 3 weeks ago.

Mistakes made with mum
Her initial breast examination sheet, marked 'urgent', was 'faxed to the wrong number' (even though as a telecoms engineer, I know that is extremely unlikely), causing a 9 week delay. The tumour grew, resulting in a larger area being removed (inc lymph nodes) and has resulted in her needing chemo and probably losing her hair. Her GP has advised her to sue, she is too sick at the moment to properly consider it.

The hospital put the wrong person's notes on her bed, and almost gave her insulin (she doesn't have diabetes). This could have killed her.

The ward was filthy. She was put on a general ward for her op, next to a male ward. Elderly male patients would use the (cleaner) ladies loos, often leaving them smeared with faeces. Nurses don't clean, so the mess would be left for hours whilst a cleaner was sourced. (Understandable if the nurses were busy but often they'd be reading magazines).

Repeatedly, nurses have tried to inject into/take blood from the arm she's had her lymph nodes from (a huge no no). They have also tried to take blood from a healing canula site (bad). Her arm is black and blue. They have even turned her away as they 'couldn't find a vein' and asked her to come back later when someone 'more experienced' was in (my mum is a nurse, and in no way does she have impenetrable arms/a lack of decent veins!)

Mistakes with Dad
Left with no medication for four days (Thurs night - Mon) and totally un-diagnosed (though it was obvious he'd had a stroke) because 'the doctor went home early on Friday, didn't see him, and doesn't work weekends'.

The nurses SEDATED my dad (after a stroke!) because they found some 2 YEAR OLD sleeping pills in his cupboard (the paramedics had picked them up with his regular medication when my dad called 999). They did not check with me or his doctor. They also 'forgot' to give him his thyroid medication for three days (which leaves you sleepy if not taken) meaning my dad was in a slurry, sleepy, confused state during a time his brain should have been healing.

Urine spilled on the floor and left for over 6 hours. (And the alcohol gel being empty. No nurses ever around to fix it - they ran on a skeleton staff of 2 for 32 patients after 5pm and on weekends.)

An old computer system being used to pull his records, with a 14 YEAR OUT OF DATE address on them. When his notes, walking stick and speech therapy all had the wrong address on, I corrected each, and asked the nurse to correct the system. 'I can't work it, I'll leave a note'. I also asked his consultant to change the system which he swore he would do 'right away'.
WHY THEN did I get a phonecall from my dad saying his physio hadn't turned up, and why did I get a call from my mum (who still lives in my dad's old house - divorced 14 years!) saying a physio had turned up at her door (6 miles away!).

I am so mad at the stupid, damaging mistakes being made. It makes me feel sick to my stomach. If these are the ones I can see, what's going wrong behind the scenes?

(With no offence meant to any nurses. Like my mum you all work hard no doubt about it. It's a shame the system lets down you, and the people of GB.)

taxiphil

These are really shocking issues and you have my sympathy. I'm probably stating the obvious but have you made a complaint to your MP and local Primary Care Trust? There need to be some serious investigations into all the matters you have raised. Don't be afraid to call into question the conduct of people in supposedly "professional" occupations.

Best wishes to you and your parents at such a difficult time.

Shambler

I couldn't agree more, I am just bewildered after all of the restructuring and money ploughed into the nhs how the system still lets us all down, patients and nurses.

Problems I have witnessed...

Brother-In-Law lying on a bed in A&E for 10 hours unattended because the early shift forgot to inform the late shift he was there.It was only when one of his relatives happened to turn up and ask a nurse what was going on that they realised he was still in need of treatment.

Ex-Wife getting a permanent scar from an infected wound. She was given a follow up appointment in 3 weeks rather than the 2-3 days she was later told it should have been.

Ex-Wife waking up during an endoscopy procedure...not the best experience she had ever had.

Patients details being dropped in the corridoor because they were carried in an overflowing box, I had to pick these up and hand them to reception.

Calling the hospital to let my Ex know when I would be picking her up and finding that my message had not been passed on despite being assured it would be.

catlover1_2

I am really shocked by this and my heart goes out to you to have this added to the worry about your family , the worry about the illness must be enough without problems with the standard fo care your loved ones recieve


Why don't you go privte though as the Bupa hospitals are really clean, or go to France / eire / Germany for treatment as the hospitals are great outside the UK

xx

sali_mali

I'm so sorry to hear what a difficult time you've had. Two ill parents is bad enough but serious mistakes like this by the hospital staff must be traumatic.

Unfortunately, as you said, the NHS is understaffed and under funded. Until this is rectified I cannot see how they hope to improve the system. (Although a few of the mistakes mentioned are also down to poor communication within the existing team, if the nurses/doctors/cleaners weren't so overstretched they would probably be much less likely to forget such important matters)

I hope you get an apology from the hospital for the unnecessary trauma you've been put through

aeuerby

KittyKate,

I totally understand your frustration.
My dad has just had 2 strokes - the second one he finished up in a ward for 3 weeks (at a well know leeds hospital!).
After his first stroke he was sent home with no advice or anything on how to prevent any more.
He has a lot of problems at the moment including what is now acute depression and prostate cancer that has spread. On top of all that my mum died suddenly last year and he is struggling to cope.

Dad was put on a ward where one of the blokes kept getting up during the night and wandered round naked - or worse urinated in the corner. The place stank of urine - even the day after the ward was closed for it's weekly "deep clean"

The last time I went the results of a scan were back and he was told that there was nothing they can do for his cancer - this came from the stroke Dr.
When the cancer Dr. went to see him they seemed optimistic and changed his drugs - no mention of palliative care.
He kept asking to go home but wasn't allowed until he'd seen the speech therapist. After 2 weeks some-one realised that he wasn't even put down on the list to see them. :mad:
The annoying thing was he was in that place steadily getting more and more depressed, desperate to go home - taking up a bed unnecessarily, just waiting for a speech therapist.

And yes the consultants get paid vast amounts of money and don't even work the weekends - not even on a rota system. It is so wrong. :mad:

KittyKate

The EXACT same thing happened to my dad. He was told on the Friday (1 week and 1 day after the stroke) he could go home, but only after the doc had checked the MRI results. The doctor then approached my dad between visits (2 hr gap) and told him he wouldn't be going home as the results were inconclusive and they'd sent them to another hosptial for double checking. My poor dad had tears in his eyes. He hated the ward.

After another 4 days he was told that the results were still inconclusive and that he might as well go home - 4 wasted, sitting doing nothing days (that cost me over £100 in travel).

The ward STANK of urine (and sometimes faeces), full 'bottles' would be left everywhere, the smell would hit you off the corridor and throw your stomach. My dad could hardly eat for the smell. They left water there for 12hrs (only changing it when guests were there), wiped faecal matter on his face cloth, the ward was covered in dust. For some reason the heating was on full blast constantly, which surely breeds bugs.

The physio has just called me to advise she 'turned up at your mother's so I went back to the hospital to call you'. My dad's is on the way to the hospital! 5 mins from mum's! He has missed a weeks worth of physio - she even had the cheek to tell me that 'you should have informed his doctor of his change of adress'....my dad did that himself, 14 years ago, I checked it on the day he was admitted, all notes from his GP had the correct adress!

I have had the good sense this year to take on bupa cover with my works healthcare scheme, it's not cheap, but it covers a lot of care, and I cannot bear the thought of my dad going back to that hospital (pontefract for those who wish to know!). The mistakes on mum were in Pontefract as well, luckily her follow up care is in Leeds, (Jimmys) which is a much nicer place.

I hope that the wave of negligence is over (but I think I'm hoping against hope here).

aeuerby

KittyKate wrote: »

luckily her follow up care is in Leeds, (Jimmys) which is a much nicer place.

I can't vouch for the cancer wards in Jimmys - and they are just finishing a brand new oncology (sp?) building, but my dad was in Jimmys. I hope you have a better experience with your mum.

We found the heating full blast too - had to open the windows to let the smell out and the cool air in!
There were stacks of boxes, bags and trollies (not the patient ones!) all over the place. It was not a pleasant place to be. Hardly useful to recovering patients!

balmaiden

I can only sympathise, my father had to spend 3 months in hospital after contracting M.R.S.A following a heart by-pass operation. It was touch and go for a long time and I spent many, many hours by his bedside both day and night and as poor Dad was out of it most of the time I was able to observe what was going on around me I could write a long list but, you have all heard it all before. One thing I will say and I know I will be criticised for doing so, is that many times the nurses were not over worked but were merely chatting to each other and having a laugh and were most certainly not rushed off their feet. I am not saying they should not have a laugh at work but I stand by the fact that I have seen more over worked people in other jobs.

Editing this post to add that my Husband is an electrician currently working in a local hospital refurbishing a unit at vast expence. The said unit is being demolished in 5 years time and a new one built. Crazy or what ?

autismmum

my husband left his job with the nhs when he discovered that blood was removed from fridges and timed (this sounds reasonable as it could go off)
but then is left for 59 mins put back in fridge and repated if neccesary so when he with crash trolley or asked to get blood would run round the hospital, only to return and be told this is only 59 mins and warm!! pop it back in for the next patient..... scary this meant that blood that had gone off was being given to people, he said some nurses and doctors told him this is normal and acceptable, but then said they wouldnt have it!!
i am so sorry to hear but i can well believe, people just dont take the job seriously as they are stressed and over worked underpaid or appethetic.

hope all is well for you soon, so sorry to hear about it all. hug.

KittyKate

aeuerby wrote: »

I can't vouch for the cancer wards in Jimmys - and they are just finishing a brand new oncology (sp?) building, but my dad was in Jimmys. I hope you have a better experience with your mum.

We found the heating full blast too - had to open the windows to let the smell out and the cool air in!
There were stacks of boxes, bags and trollies (not the patient ones!) all over the place. It was not a pleasant place to be. Hardly useful to recovering patients!

Yes, my mum's treatment transfers to the new oncology unit in Jimmys in January. She's looking forward to it (well you know what I mean )

Sadly in Pontefract you weren't allowed to open the windows - making the urine smell literally unbearable. I came home smelling of 'hospital' and so did OH.

Oh - and one other gross thing is that when he was admitted I was told to bring him soap, pyjamas, towel etc. I did so, only to find they were using an old bar of soap from god knows where to wash him every day. Disgusting. I threw it away of course. If I'd have left it, it probably would end up washing another patient's face. He wasn't diseased of course but it's hardly a good idea what with MRSA, c-dificile (sp) etc.

And I didn't want to say too much about the nurses - I really do have a lot of respect for anyone in a healthcare profession - but yes, they seemed to all take their coffee break together and they regularly ignored the buzzer (one answered it 30 mins after it was pressed - by that time I'd gone to the store room and taken a fresh bottle - wrong I know but needs must - it was bl**dy filthy in there). The doctor worked probably 25hrs a week and was extremely dismissive - I had to make an appt 3 days in advance just for a chat with him, I knew he'd had a stroke but it took 5 days to officially be told anything. One nurse could hardly speak English (couldn't understand the word 'computer' when I tried to tell her my dad's adress was wrong on the system!) and one tried to tell me my dad couldn't swallow - when he was eating a sandwich and drinking some juice successfully at the time!! (she had misunderstood the latin term...he actually had trouble speaking. Thankfully OH took latin at school).

They all ignore the phone even if sitting next to it having a biscuit or reading a book. I gave up calling to see how he was. They rang me on a Sunday (he was admitted on a Thurs) to ask what tablets they should be giving him and asking me if I'd go to his house and 'look in his bin for a prescription' (I called the on call GP to tell me...a bit easier than a 50 mile round trip to root around in his garbage). Why couldn't they have done that!?

Sadly I bet most people on here have an NHS horror story. My nan died from a bug she caught in Pontefract, which is spread by ingesting fecal matter. Washing your hands matters so much, and I fail to see how that message has dampened over the years!