Whistleblowing
Tomorrow I just might find out how effective whistleblowing is, and what sort of effect it has on the whistleblower.
SIL has been back in hospital for 3 days now. His wound, which goes from one side of his abdomen to the other, is now wide open. This is the result of an infection, no finger pointing here, it could have been caused at any time and I am not saying that it is hospital acquired, but he is back in hospital so that the infection can be treated and the wound cared for. He is on intravenous antibiotics and the wound is being drained regularly, all over the sheets, which are then not changed until daughter goes in to visit. He is unable to get out of bed unassisted, has bandages on both hands, so only has a wash once a day, also when daughter goes in to visit. How inconvenient, that his bodily/hygiene needs are always carried out at visiting time. Well, it only happens then because it's daughter who changes his sheets and helps him to wash. SIL is depressed, he thinks he may never recover, I'm worried that he might be right. So far there has been one drug error, an IV antibiotic given twice, they realised half way through and stopped it, and one near miss when they tried to administer a second dose of his blood thinning drug but daughter questioned whether that had not already been given. Where is this excellent standard of nursing care taking place? The hospital I work for, thats where. So, tomorrow I will visit instead of my daughter and I shall ask to speak to the ward sister or manager, initially not wearing my ID. I shall also have my camera with me, and if I am not satisfied with the responses I receive from the personnel that I discuss my concerns with I shall be sharing location information with a larger audience and producing visual evidence to demonstrate my concerns.
However distressed I have been about the staffing levels and care provision with the maternity department I, hand on heart, have never worried that the womens basic needs were not being met. This is an appauling situation, midwives are not nurses but we are providing a better, and safer, standard of nursing care than is being provided in areas where nurses are employed to fulfill that role, to care for the sick and injured. I have no idea why this is happening, hopefully tomorrow I shall find out. Is it lack of staff? Daughters description of having to interupt the nurses who were sitting down having a chat and reading magazines, makes me doubt that, but I shall not make any judgements until the morrow.
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Katja / Website (11.9.06 22:59) Gosh, that's dreadful. I do hope you manage to get it sorted out, MM. |
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midwifemuse / Website (11.9.06 23:08) I really hadn't believed how bad things are, I am so distressed. |
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mumof4 / Website (12.9.06 04:17) I hope you are successful in your undercover work. I do not blame you for being so upset. It sounded dreadful just reading about it. Best of British to you. |
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midwifemuse / Website (12.9.06 09:54) I have a horrible feeling that this could be the Best of British! |
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geepeemum / Website (12.9.06 15:59) I have always defended to the death hospitals and their care to my patients (well not quite to the death but youknow what I mean)...but I am increasingly unable to do so. I still (and I hope I'm not just being discriminatory here) think that many of the doctors provide a relatively good service but I am truly appalled at the nursing "care" that is being given. I have had patients employ someone to go and sit with their elderly relative for the 4 hours a day that they couldn't be there - otherwise they knew they wouldn't be fed, taken to the toilet, washed etc. And I've complained right up to the Chief Exec but I can't get the patients to let me use their names so it gets no further..... There are definitely HUGE problems within the NHS. it seems to me - as someone without much knowledge of nursing training - that all the young nurses being trained here go immediately into Consultant Nurse posts or very specialist posts and the other posts are filled with anyone from anywhere regardless of skills, qualifications or character.... |
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midwifemuse / Website (12.9.06 16:54) geepeemum - I had a long conversation with a 3rd year student nurse last week who told me that she had had done one nursing placement lasting 1 month in her training , and that had been in the 2nd semester. She felt this was acceptable as all the other 'experiences' she was having were broadening her outlook and would add to her effectivemess as a nurse. What a lot of bulls..t, she needs to learn how to look after people who are not able to look after themselves. Apparently she is on course for a first class honours! |
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IanB / Website (13.9.06 09:24)  It's just not right is it?
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princessfairytoes / Website (13.9.06 10:31) once upon a time there were hospitals, there was one lady in Charge called Matron, on a Monday morning matron walked through the hospital inspecting every corner using a freah pair of white glove on each ward, each ward had, 2 Sister, SRN's SEN's auxillary nurses and ancillary nurses, and nurses in trainning, there was time to give to patients, care was the most improtant thing, God forbid should have Pizza delivered on to the ward. hygine was THEE most important thing. Now you get a filliapino who doesnt speek english and you are not quite sure wether they are male of female looking at the name badge, they look about 12. But some one in the big place in LONDON decied taht it was not good fro nursees to have time to take a pee in the day let alone talk to the patients, trainning should be done at universitys, and if they dut costs as much a possible they could employ mangagers and give them shiny BMW's .... BRING BACK REAL NURSING |
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midwifemuse / Website (13.9.06 10:48) Princess - How right you are. We used to live in fear and dread of the 'Nursing Officer', she would appear at odd times and choose someone to do a ward round with. At weekends there would be ward cleaning....done by the nurses. Everything was cleaned, we even had to clean the bed pans and the sluice, but infections were virtually unknown. Hospitals were clean, organised, and everyone knew how to care for the patients, safely. |
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princessfairytoes / Website (13.9.06 17:11) go to NHSblogdoctor and read the DOG TURD entery |
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Della (13.9.06 21:04) Hiya midwifemuse, Sorry - long comment! I read your blog and lots of other health professionals blogs all the time but don't usually comment. I'm a 2nd year Student Nurse. That is really dreadful the 'care' your SIL has received. The NHS is in real trouble. I wish they would sort it out, as I believe in the NHS because I believe strongly that healthcare should be free and equal for all. I don't think privatisation, where richer people get better healthcare, is right. I'm on a degree course and like the diploma students we spend half our time in practice on the wards and half the time at uni in alternating 7 week blocks for 3 years, I don't know where the Student Nurse you mentioned goes to uni, you have to spend half the 3 years in practice to amass enough hours to qualify and join the register! I think nurse training these days is excellent (way improved from project 2000) It's not like this everywhere, I have worked in healthcare for 4 years and never seen practice as bad as that you describe of your SIL, but my local NHS hospital in Norwich is a good one so I am lucky. Geepeemum (hi!) - Young English nurses don't go straight into specialist posts at all, most can't even get a job as a basic ward nurse - according to this weeks' Nursing Times 2 out of 3 newly qualified nurses can't get a job and have to work as Nursing Assistants! (what most of us worked as before the 3 years training!) there are no jobs for nurses at the moment, because the NHS has overspent, resulting in worse care for patients. Dreadful state of affairs. Let us know how it goes midwifemuse Della x |
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midwifemuse / Website (14.9.06 18:39) Hi Della - Thank you for the comment! I possibly didn't phrase the section about the student's placements that well. I'll try again..... During her 2 years of training she has worked on one ward where conscious patients required total care, including personal hygiene. The 'other' experiences, including her maternity placement, will all go towards her practice hours. I assume that the st.nurses have a skills book that they have to complete so I know that somewhere along the way, in each semester, she will have had to have been assessed on her basic nursing. I missed out on project 2000, I trained before it started so I can't really comment on it's effectiveness, or otherwise. Good luck with the rest of your training. Hopefully, by the time you qualify the job prospects for midwives, and nurses will have improved. |
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Della (14.9.06 20:57) Thanks for your response! I feel like I am talking to a celebrity  I actually wanted to be a midwife and applied before doing nursing but didn't get in, only 10 places a year and 300 applicants for the midwifery degree at my local uni Hope to do the 18 month conversion course eventually instead, am enjoying nursing though.
I understand what you mean about the student nurse's placement now. Only one ward placement, shocking! I have had four placements so far, of which 2 were on hospital wards, one in A&E and I'm currently in the community with the district nurses and health visitors. I have four placements left, all of which are to be on hospital wards. Yup we do have a book of skills we have to get taught on placement and signed-off on by the end of our training, this includes more technical nursing skills like catheterisation, down to basic nursing skills such as washing and dressing, and the ridiculously obvious like 'greeting patients'!! Still, amazing how many trained nurses apparantly can't even do this properly - greeting patients in a friendly manner, so I see why it is in there! Project 2000 was when nurse training was re-located to universities and came under crticism because it produced students that were academically focused but lacked even basic nursing skills because of lack of practical experience. Now they have increased the proportion of practical training so it is 50% theory and 50% practice which is producing much better nurses. Yes I am hopeful the job situation will have improved in 18 months when I qualify. Anyway keep up the excellent blog and best wishes to SIL.
Della x |
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midwifemuse / Website (14.9.06 22:47) Della - I shall certainly keep on blogging. It's an excellent way to let off steam 
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