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I'm 57 years old, working full time, wife, mother and grand mother, wishing that I wasn't working full time! I love and enjoy our children and grandchildren, our dogs and cat, our garden and allotment. I love crafts - knitting, sewing, crocheting, patchwork and restoring old furniture. I love to go to country auctions and love thinking that I've got my self a bargain!

Saturday 9 February 2013

That's rare!

Afternoon All,

Well it's been a funny few weeks here - I haven't been at my best, I have an issue with my immune system, which has been causing a few problems.

I couldn't get into my own Doctors to begin with so went to the local 'drop -in' centre and waited 4 hours to see a Doctor (only the Shropshire country bumpkins of our local NHS trust could send all the G.P's in this area on a course on the same day!) - I finally walked in and it was a Nurse who looked at my legs which were very swollen and had I had come out with lots of open sores, on my legs and feet and she said - I'll have to fetch a Doctor - the Doctor came looked at it, then told me what was wrong and said - it's very rare - can I photograph your legs to show my students!

 I have had to have lots of blood tests over the last week and have had a week off work on sick leave (not something I like to do given the present economic climate) but the recommended treatment was to rest, so that's what I've done.

But last Friday night I was sent from the Docs to the hospital, as he wanted to be sure that I wasn't suffering with thrombosis. I arrived at the hospital and was put on the 'fit to sit' ward at 4.30pm - I saw the Doctor at 10.30pm and finally left the hospital,  very weary and teary at 11.30pm. (I had left the house to go to work at 7.15am and had nothing to eat from the lunch time, and only 2 cups of tea throughout those 6 hours) There was no checks made for a thrombosis - he just looked at it and said 'that's very rare'! Then sent me home!

During those 6 hours of waiting, myself and the other 2 patients in there, went more than 2 hours at one point without seeing a soul - we saw the tea lady (who came round twice) more than the Doctors or Nurses. This wasn't the fault of the staff there, and is certainly no criticism of them - they were working absolutely flat out on the adjoining ward, but of the NHS trust management  and their complete lack of care for patients, to leave wards running with so little cover.

Which leads me to the news this week regarding Stafford Hospital, it amazes me when government ministers and the bosses who run that hospital say that they didn't know that people were dying due to lack of care. What absolute idiots - any working class person will  know of a poorly performing hospital, wherever you live in this country. There is one hospital back in the Midlands that's known as No Hope hospital. The local hospital close to where I work is where my Nan died - she was the first person there to go down with MRSA - I don't care if I were dying - there's no way that I would enter that hospital, cause all they'd do is kill you off even sooner, with lack of care and cleanliness!

My Nan worked in the hospitals as a cleaner in the 1930's - she used to have to get down on her hands and knees and scrub the operating theatres - there was no MRSA etc., in those days, because they were cleaned properly - no contract cleaners, cleaning to contract standard then (i.e. you get the cleaning to a standard to match what the hospitals paying for) - then, it was cleaned to the Matron's standard.

When we recently had a fire at work, in one of our properties and one poor gentleman lost in life, we were told that as we had a fire risk assessment and policy in place, if it was found that we hadn't followed that policy then we could all be liable for prosecution for corporate manslaughter, so I for one agree with the relatives of all those people who passed away, in that hospital  - the management team at Stafford Hospital should be held accountable and answerable in a court of law - if they're not held accountable then there's something wrong somewhere, with our legal system.

All I can add is a 'Well Done' to the campaigners who have fought so hard for their lost loved ones, it must have been a long hard fight for justice and they are so close now.

Speak again soon

Byee xxx

14 comments:

  1. Hi there, my heart went out to you reading this post and your tearful trip to the hospital. Bless you. I also agree even though I have no personal experience (i.e. older relatives who worked in hospitals) about the way things have changed cleanliness wise in hospitals now and the rise of things like MRSA & C-Dif. Coincidence? Think not.

    Take care and also thanks for your supportive message on my blog, it really meant a lot. x

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    1. You're welcome and thank you - back to work tomorrow - not looking forward to that xxx

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  2. I completely agree with you. I work in the nhs in outpatient department and see what is going on.Basically the nhs is run by a bunch of incompetent people hell bent on saving money and to hell with patients. My mum is in at the moment and I am hoping she doesnt catch anything when she is in there.The main problem is that staff are run ragged and there arent enough.I agree about the cleaners too.

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    1. Thanks Anne, I hope your Mom is ok and is soon home with you, safe and sound - The last time my Mom went in, she took antiseptic wipes in with her and she just kept wiping every thing with those - it is a worry isn't it xxx

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  3. How bloody awful. It just isnt like this in Scotland. Well, from my experience and of my friends. Why the hell dont we have a revolution.

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    1. You're right Jill a revolution is what's needed - You're lucky if you have a hospital there, that you have complete confidence in xxx

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  4. Sorry to hear you were poorly. Hope you`re back on the mend now. Terrible storries emerge from the hospitals. You are quite right about the cleanliness issue, too. Lets just hope that things are made to improve in the future!

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    1. Lets hope they do improve across the board for all of us Sarina xxx

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  5. Hope you're on the mend now Trudie. I'd be very reluctant to go back into hospital after my experiences there -I could write a book about my 12 day stay.

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    1. Hi Scarlet - Yes I'm getting there slowly thank you - So you didn't have a very good time in hospital then and 12 days must have felt like an 'age' to wait to get out and back home xxx

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  6. Hope you're feeling better, sorry to hear you're poorly and your hospital treatment was awry. It does seem to be a " postcode lottery" our nearest hospital has been down graded and does less now but I've always had really good experiences however like you, friends have had awful treatment at the big hospital up the motorway! It's the way things are going, NHS, policing, teaching, they keep cutting back but it's reaching a point where it just won't be safe :-( x

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    1. I agree - it's not just the hospitals - it's in all different areas, I just can't see how they can put 'costings' to people's health. That's a shame that they've down graded your local hospital especialy if it was a good one xxx

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  7. Completely agree. The senior managers accept high wages but with that comes responsibility. Ignorance is not a good excuse.
    I still blame a local hospital for my mum's death but because of lies that were told I couldn't get anywhere with my complaint.

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    1. That must have been so fustrating and so unfair for you Jane and you're right ignorance isn't a good excuse - they knew what was happening under their noses but it would have cost money and KPI's to put it right so they choose to ignore it xxx

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