[alanvendy]

As some of you are aware my missus had a bad fall in the early hours of Monday morning resulting in a gash to her head, bruising to her arm and worst of all a broken hip. Having found her laying on the floor in a pool of blood and screaming in pain a 999 call was logged. Arrived at A&E and waited for hours for a doctor and xrays, it took about 2 hours and a lot nagging just to get the wound on her head dressed. During the long wait I had a call of nature which involved going through the A&E reception area and to my shock only saw 1 drunk (with police escort) and 1 elderly couple. I was now livid so whats the f####king hold up. After about 4 hours and constant nagging some pain relief was administered (paracetamol) now I'm no doctor but a person who is already taking numerous pain killers just to cope with life ain't going to benefit from a couple of Bl##dy paracetamol. Shortly after this a concerned nurse consulted with a doctor and arranged some morphine (hala f###king luya). Shortly after the morphine we were escorted to a ward where for about the 4th time a list of medications, next of kin info etc etc was listed again and yet more questions asked. I finally left the hell hole at about 13.30 on Monday being assured the operation would take place that afternoon, I wouldn't have left her but I was mentally and physically drained (no sleep for 36+ hours). When I awoke phoned the hospital to see how the operation went and was told it had been put off as wife had got a slight temperature, ok I can understand any risk of problems with an operation are best avoided. During evening visiting time checked with the nursing team who assured me the operation would go ahead the next day Tuesday. Checked again with the hospital on Tuesday, before afternoon visiting, to find out the operation had been postponed till Wednesday. So Wednesday arrived checked with the sh##t hole again "yes everything is fine she will be out of theatre at about 17.00hrs" so didn't bother with afternoon visit. Phoned the dump again just before leaving for the evening visit, go on have a guess yup you got it in one postponed again, this time due to emergencies taking priority. So for 3 days my missus has laid in a hospital bed dosed up with morphine with a broken hip. So now having caused a scene in the ward reception area and threatening to go to the press and going through the NHS complaints procedure.
We will see what tomorrow brings.
Does NHS really stand for National Health Service ??????????

 

[Jackdaw]

Here's hoping that today's outcome is more favourable and that your wife makes the first steps towards a full recovery. Your anger and frustration are entirely understandable. None of us likes to see our loved ones in pain.

 

[Paul-S]

+1 on Jackdaws thoughts

 

[hotbulb]

+1 on Jackdaws thoughts

And another.
(I've spent rather more time than I'd have wished at A&E and "Assessment Units" with family members,too! Has me tearing out what little hair's left....but I don't know what the answer is )

 

[621andy]

The NHS boils my p155...But if it's any consolation it's no better in Germany.

My missus's father has been in and out on hospitals in our area for the last year or so, and some of the stories would make yer hair curl

I pay 300euros a month for private health insurance; I have to as I'm self employed, but it pisses me off when I show my card, as their eyes light up and it's like a licence to print money; rushed to the front of the queue in the doctor's/dentist and suddenly they find a loong list of things that doing...meanwhile the 'normal' people sit outside waiting for them to finish using me as their summer holiday payout...I suppose that's why i pay so much, but if it was me sat waiting it'd really pi55 me off

Anyway, good luck with 'em and hope the missus gets sorted soon

 

[Traveller]

Alan, when you are next there look for the PALS service ( Patient Liason Service) and have a word with them.

 

[Whealie]

My years of experience of hospitals has taught me this: If you are not treated quickly it is a blessing. It means you are not in any danger. It means they have assessed you and, compared with everyone else they are having to deal with, you are in a much better, more comfortable situation. They prioritise the most urgent/dangerous/at risk/precarious patients first.

It's an emergency service not a service in the sense of silver service waitressing.

It is infuriating when you are waiting and nothing is happening and other people who arrived after you are seen before you but at least you know that if you ever arrive in a near death state, they will also ditch those others and treat you first.

I'm not much help being perennially chirpy.

Monty Python - Always Look on the Bright Side of Life - YouTube

 

[winxp-master]

Sorry to hear about your missus, hope she gets sorted soon.



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[AlanH]

So for 3 days my missus has laid in a hospital bed dosed up with morphine with a broken hip

Not good. Dealing with the NHS can be exceedingly frustrating. I hope they sort it out pronto and best wishes for your wife's speedy recovery.

 

[Cabby]

Good luck to you both.

This is the biggest (visible) problem most of us come across with the NHS. I suppose it's the one we mostly have contact with when treatment is required quickly.

Successive governments seem to have failed on this one and they need to have a closer look at it.

There must be very few places on this island where you wouldn't expect to wait hours for initial treatment/diagnosis.

They've become obsessed by stats and economics......because that's how they're judged.

The answer to making something more efficient is that you be prepared to spend more on it initially.

THEN you can make it work better and more efficiently....you have to make it work in the first place...non?

Hope all goes well today.

 

[Mervinh]

Alan this must have been frustrating to say the least, i can only echo what everyone else says , i do hope it goes better from now on,

i have had my fair share of these things, including my Neighbour accidentally amputating the end of his thumb in a circular saw , tok him to local A&E that took 4 hours, then told to take him to Exeter the next day (a Friday)for 9 am , (a 140 mile round trip ) to sit there all day waiting to be seen , and a 4 pm to be told he would not be seen /operated on that day go home and come back tomorrow, and then spending most of Saturday waiting when we where told if we where there at 9 am he would be dealt with first, It maybe better to go to the local vet i think

 

[les9509]

Very sorry to hear about you poor missus' mishap. Hope things get better really soon.

I have no personal axe to grind with our NHS in Aberdeen. Walked me through my big "C" op and recuperation involving more dental magic, radiotherapy etc. All done with care, kindness and peerless professionalism. We also have a brand new A&E centre opening this week which, hopefully, will sort out the druggie O/D versus elderly lady with fractured wrist priorities. Seems wrong that decent, hard working contributors are passed by for "Never paid a penny" scumbags with self-inflicted, drug induced problems. However; and it's a big issue; the NHS has to guard its staff from our modern, litigenous society. Just let one of the aforementioned lowlifes scream "negligence", and we all end up paying out big money. No thanks there to the legal sharks or the "my rights" brigade. What's the answer? Well, allegedly wiser heads than I still debate the issue and haven't got an answer. I do have an answer, but were I to air it, I would find myself in deep doodoo with the "human rights" lot. O tempora! o mores! as the Romans used to say. Rant over, I'm going out to my shed to commune with my Transalp. Very theraputic; lowers the blood-pressure no end! Toodle oo the noo. Yours, (tongue firmly in cheek) Jock :hitler:

 

[Loggy]

Sorry to hear about your missus Alan...

I must say I'm surprised they didn't operate on it the same day, a broken hip must be pretty serious and I would have thought the longer you leave it the worse its going to heal?

What Hospital is it, not Northampton General?

I think a lot depends what Hospital you go to. Obviously a broken hip needs A&E treatment, but my advice for anyone who has less serious injuries is the NHS Minor Injury drop in centres. I've visited them a few times, once with a bit of metal stuck in my eyeball and a couple of others when I snapped tendons in my ankle (same injury, different ankles). I've found these to be very good service. I was practically seen straight away on all occasions and the wait was no longer than a hour. The trouble is these clinics are only open during normal working hours.

I hope your missus gets seen ASAP and gets well soon.

Best wishes

Loggy.

 

[alanvendy]

Thanks for all your kind comments. And apologies for the rant it was just so frustrating and worrying.

Loggy not Northampton, Kettering general it features quite a lot in the local news.


Great news finally operated today ccasion9:ccasion9:ccasion9:. So the wife has now got a partial hip replacement, the idea of the hip replacement is to get her mobile quicker than waiting for the bone to mend. As her mobility is very limited due to her multiple sclerosis the replacement was deemed the better option to get back on her feet as soon as possible, its one of those things if she has periods without moving her mobility gets worse.

Visited her this evening and she seemed quite perky and in much less pain. The nurses are hoping to start physio in 2 or 3 days as long as there are no complications.

Maybe I can have a good nights sleep now.

 

[les9509]

Happy to hear that your wife has been seen. Living with MS must be doubly frustrating, so I pray that the physio helps her to get mobile quickly.
Everyone here has their own story, so it's not all just rant, is it? No smoke and all that...Please convey our best wishes for a speedy return to normal.
Jock

 

[AlanH]

May be good to post your wife's experience here: http://www.patientopinion.org.uk/

That was far too long to wait for a hip op.

 

[Lulu]

Sorry to hear this tale of woe, Alan. i've had similar difficult times with my dad in A&E (at 80+ years and with heart failure plus all sorts of further complications, you'd think he'd be deemed an emergency, but seems not). I think that A&E is the part of the NHS that seems to be struggling the most to cope. One of the real frustrations for me has been the lack of communication (what's happening? when will be seen? etc) together with what seem to be unnecessary bureaucratic procedures (taking the same details 10 times over), and so on. I don't blame the individuals involved in direct care, I'm sure that they are overloaded, but the system isn't working, and we need to sort it. The current 'austerity measures' don't bode well in terms of solving things, either... . Hope she feels better soon, now, and that you also can recover from the trauma of it all. Keep smiling if you can.

 

[621andy]

t maybe better to go to the local vet i think​

I'd much rather trust a vet than a doctor...their medical knowledge has to be so much wider than a normal GP/surgeon, and most of them that I've met would probably do a better job than most doctors too

 

[Whealie]

Good result .....in the end. Give all our love.

 

[Nickel Arse]

Not sure if I can add anything that would make any of the frustrations any better, rant away here and give your misses our regards, Hope she's up and mobile soonest