My Daughter in Law is eight months pregnant and is unfortunately in hospital with pneumonia and pleurisy. The treatment she is getting is absolutely appalling and it is purely down to staff shortages. She should be getting pain killers every 4 hours, she is lucky if she gets them every six hours, which means she is often left in severe pain. The necessary antibiotics are given when the staff gave time, not when prescribed. Nobody has even queried the fact that she has not eaten for days, in fact despite the fact that she is very dry and has a sore throat from constant coughing, she is being given toast or sandwiches. So now we are taking her in food that she can eat.
She has been left naked on the bed for hours, until her mother arrived to cover her up, so distressing for anyone. They send two young men to give her a bed bath. WTF is that all about? No woman would like the indignity and humiliation of that. She did send them away and waited for her mother to give her a wash.
If she needs help and pushes the buzzer, it goes unanswered as the staff just do not have the time. I do not blame the staff, they are doing their very best under difficult circumstances and many eventually collapse under the stress and go sick themselves. If you don't have family or friends support, you are just left to get on with it as the staff don't have time for the 'extras' like feeding, washing etc. And the lovely sympathy and understanding that you need when you are sick has just gone, there isn't time for a patient to be treated as an individual.
Our health service has deteriorated so far that we come behind third world countries in several areas of healthcare. Yet it used to be the pride of Great Britain and the envy of the world. I can only assume that this government wants it to get so bad that they can say that they have no alternative but to privatise it. Then heaven help anyone who is poor if they get sick, it doesn't even bear thinking about.
That is absolutely terrible treatment and for the NHS to be neglected is such a manner is shocking.
ReplyDeleteI do but notice that there is plenty of money found for maintaining the military killing machine !
I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter in laws terrible treatment. I agree with what you say, this government with it austerity cuts are destroying our wonderful NHS, privatisation is already creeping in. They found money for new roads the other day though.
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone. In Australia and particularly NSW the funding for our public hospitals has been severely cut. This is not the fault of the staff as they do the best they can. However recently two members of my family have experienced something very similiar to your daughter Inlaw. What happens to the patients that don't have an advocate? I hope she recovers soon and you can all enjoy the new arrival.
ReplyDeleteI do sympathise, but it was beginning to get difficult when I left in 1994! We have a lot of people now who are not generating enough income to feed the NHS with appalling wages, far too many bunging up A & E with silly things that they or a chemist could deal with. If you have support that is great but if not...
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely shocking Val and a disgrace!
ReplyDeleteI hope that your daughter-in-law recovers soon and she can go home where she will be cared for properly.
That's terrible! Praying she is better soon. (There are a lot of people over here who think a national healthcare system would be just the thing. I don't think they have any idea what it would really be like.)
ReplyDeleteMel - absolutely right about the weapons and war making efforts. I think every politician I wants to be a 'Churchill type prime minister presiding over Britain at war'. Their self importance wants their name in the history books. Bugger what the people actually need!
ReplyDeleteChickpea - so right, perhaps they could start repairing the roads that we actually have first xxx
Jenny - thank you and I am sorry that your health service is suffering like ours. But then again the politicians can afford private health care so it's not top of their priorities despite what they say xxx
DC - I agree that it has been going downhill for years, but I do think there has been an acceleration in the past few years. Disgraceful with the wages, the politicians ought yo be ashamed of themselves xxx
Jane - thank you, hospital seems to be no place to be ill. Once we can get her home, take care of her in comfort with good food I am sure she will recover quickly xxx
Jan - done properly the NHS is wonderful but there are too many managers and admin staff rather than clinical staff and of course when there are funding cuts they don't cut their own jobs. All we want is to get a decent service, personally I think the NHS should be taken out of the politicians hands and given over to medical people who actually know what they are doing xxx
I'm so sorry to hear that your daughter in law is ill and especially about the treatment she's receiving. This should be a special time for her, awaiting the arrival of her baby, it's bad enough that she's ill but having to endure such terrible treatment is awful. I hope she's better soon so that she can get home and finish off the preparations for the new arrival.
ReplyDeleteI feel so sad reading this post, but really don't have words to express an intelligent opinion. Not experiencing your countries medical care. I do think that every country should put medical care for its citizens at a priority and that it doesn't sound like your daughter-in-law is getting the care her deserves. In the US insurance is one of the highest bills we pay and you have to have it if you want care. I've paid in for so many years and I'm one of those people that goes to the doctor once every two or three years, so the insurance companies are making money on me. There are definitely ways that governments could change the way they disperse tax moneys.
ReplyDeleteFran, I'm late here - I'm sorry. I feel your anger bouncing off the screen. It's a shocking story, and I agree with you totally. How dreadful! And there was I thinking you were so lucky to still have the NHS. Is there anything to be done? I just hope this government is ousted and a more caring party gets the vote next time. I agree with Mel here. There's always plenty of money to fund the army and military in countries where we have no business. That should be the first to be stopped!
ReplyDeletePS If I don't make it back before Christmas, I do hope you have a lovely one, dear friend. Big hugs! xxxx
ReplyDeleteThis is terrible to hear. Private health care in the US works well for some, but not the poor. Canadian health care is great for emergency medicine, but there are long waits for everything else. I don't know if there is an easy answer. - Margy
ReplyDeleteSame,same but diffrent in sweden......
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry your DIL is having such appalling care, due to the lack of staff. She is unfortunate to be in a hospital that is having such problems. Not all hospitals are like this. Written complaints are always taken seriously and have to be recorded so it always worth doing so. It will hopefully improve things for future patients too. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteJo - it is shame that Kerry has been so ill and not been able to just enjoy being pregnant, but I am sure the baby will make up for it all x
ReplyDeleteVal - thank you, I too hope that we get rid of this lot and that Labour get in who have at least promised to repair and NHS not privatise it, mind you promises don't mean a lot xxx
Margy - emergency treatment was usually the one thing that you could rely on here, but even that seems to have deteriorated xxx
Ib - it's all down to money, but it really shouldn't be xxxx
Sarah - I know that all hospitals are not the same but Colchester is already in special measures, you think they would be doing something to sort it out. We will certainly write to complain as there is more to the saga ! X
I live in the U.S.....heaven only knows how ours is going to turn out in the end. Everyone should have affordable, adequate health care.
ReplyDeleteJo