NHS - good & not so good stories

[Flowergirl14]

I was inspired to set up this thread, due to the amount of fascinating stories that were appearing on another thread.

I have to say I have had amazing experiences with the NHS, when I have been in hospital due to broken limbs; and giving birth to my 2 children. They were very positive experiences for me, and I am very grateful.
Everyone from the community nurses, midwives, doctors, etc.
Sadly, not everyone has had my positive experience.

In no way, is this set up to bash hard working staff; but happy to call out bad experiences/practices/wastage.

I do get very annoyed by the amount of wastage there appears to be in the NHS. We contribute a lot of our hard earned taxes to this. As do NHS staff with their taxes.

So, feel free to share your stories good and bad.

Thank you.

 

[Helloworld]

As someone who has been in and out hospitals my whole life nearly because of various illnesses I have, I’ve seen plenty.
I’ve seen paediatrics struggling on days like the fracture clinic because they’re understaffed and there’s so many people as it’s walk in. Also sometimes on any given day, not even just walk in.
Ive had good and bad doctors, one very patronising doctor (I’m 20 and small for my age, I was in paeds until my 19th birthday so still a “baby” in adult clinics) and one who lost my notes and took a further year for a diagnosis.
I’ve also waited for procedures to not happen and now it’s worse.

I’ve had the good, the bad and the ugly you could say but mostly good experiences, every time I’ve been admitted my experiences were good. Just some doctors and seeing the NHS struggling makes me so sad.

 

[FakeSmile]

My 3 week old (at the time) had to go to A&E in January and I can’t fault the care that he was given. My husband was COVID positive so I just assumed it was that in my son, but because he was so young they tested for everything it could possibly be just incase something was missed. I know that that’s probably standard practice but I was so grateful that it wasn’t just brushed off as COVID and taken seriously - although a 3 week old having a lumber puncture is traumatising for everyone involved!

We then had to stay in the short stay A&E ward overnight in a lovely private room where I had a bed next to my son and the nurses took care of him all night (he’d perked up massively by this point) so that I could get a decent nights sleep. I was so so grateful for this as I hadn’t slept properly for the 3 weeks he’d been born and with 2 other small children at home it was definitely needed!

 

[Purrrrrrr]

When my sister was in hospital with a brain tumour, two consultants had different ideas on her meds, one decreased her anti-fit meds and she had a huge fit that caused her to be paralysed all down her right side.

After that, I see some awful sights. She kept having fits and we would press the nurse buzzer and nothing, even though nurses were at the nurse station chatting... My sister was in the furthest ward in the furthest bed away, even though she was constantly having fits. Turned up one morning to see her sobbing with her breakfast in front of her they had put the tray on her table and left her to it. ( not the first time apaaprtily) bearing in mind she had no use in her right side and was right-handed. butter in a little tub, jam in a little tub, no way to hold the toast while she buttered etc. Hot tea etc WTF?

I went home got my bag and moved in and became her carer in the hospital.. She wanted to come home to die and so I had to prove I could lift her on my own from bed to wheelchair and back etc in front of consultants, Got her home ( sounds easy but it wasn't, it was awful and scary as they didn't want her to come home) She was so scared of being taken back into that hospital she made a DNR order and we had to have it with us all the time.

 

[Melian]

I spoke to my gp in December because I had what I thought was an asthma flare up. (Its winter, nothing unusual) I was given tablets which didn't work. I was then given an x ray which was clear. I was then constantly told I had anxiety and was told just to stop running.

By this point, I was taking anything up to 30 puffs of ventolin a day just to walk around my flat.

I was told time and time again it was anxiety and no, they won't give me a new inhaler.

I then got to appointment 6 where finally someone gave me a new inhaler. It made a little bit of difference.

I then was given the same medication that I'd came off before. Surprise, surprise, it was making no difference.

I ended up complaining because no one was taking my concerns seriously.

I've now been told I may not have asthma. I need a breathing test and a ct scan. My chest doesn't expand when I breathe. 3 GPs have listened to my chest since December. Can't believe only one has picked this up.

I've only had 11 appointments to sort this. I usually only have my asthma review.

And there was the constant refusal to listen to my parents when I was younger. I had epilepsy. But because they were only at night, no one saw them. I've now been left with head injury because of this. And it turns out someone knew - we were asked years later if we were aware I had it. We weren't because no one believed there was a problem. This was before camcorders were cheap.

 

[Hybrid]

I’m infertile because 2 different NHS doctors couldn’t diagnose appendicitis, leading to a burst appendix, major surgery and massive internal scarring. I even asked if it could be appendicitis and was laughed at. There are some great doctors and nurses and some terrible ones, but I never automatically trust and bow down to them. I hate the way more and more NHS staff seem to assume that they don’t need to actually talk to you about what’s going on.

 

[Notworthy]

When my sister was in hospital with a brain tumour, two consultants had different ideas on her meds, one decreased her anti-fit meds and she had a huge fit that caused her to be paralysed all down her right side.

After that, I see some awful sights. She kept having fits and we would press the nurse buzzer and nothing, even though nurses were at the nurse station chatting... My sister was in the furthest ward in the furthest bed away, even though she was constantly having fits. Turned up one morning to see her sobbing with her breakfast in front of her they had put the tray on her table and left her to it. ( not the first time apaaprtily) bearing in mind she had no use in her right side and was right-handed. butter in a little tub, jam in a little tub, no way to hold the toast while she buttered etc. Hot tea etc WTF?

I went home got my bag and moved in and became her carer in the hospital.. She wanted to come home to die and so I had to prove I could lift her on my own from bed to wheelchair and back etc in front of consultants, Got her home ( sounds easy but it wasn't, it was awful and scary as they didn't want her to come home) She was so scared of being taken back into that hospital she made a DNR order and we had to have it with us all the time.

We had a similar experience with my Nan although not the fits, the food issue, leaving her in the toilet for 45 minutes (apparently she should have been grateful to be taken to the toilet and not left to piss in her bed). watching 1 Nurse run herself ragged trying to look after the patients while 5 other nurses sat at the station gossiping (all obese) My Dad put in a complaint and my Nan refused to go back to that hospital again so if she needed hospital treatment we would take her to our local hospital and claim she was staying with us. I refused to clap for the nurses, there are some absolute stars that work themselves to the bone but they are let down by too many lazy, fat, ignorant ones that don't get held to account.
Personally I blame the Unions, they protect staff like thi, completely oblivious to the fact that it is other staff that then have to cover the work, same problem in the Railway, almost impossible to get rid of lazy inefficient staff so the rest of us have to work twice as hard.

 

[Eirawen]

When my mum was in hospital it was very difficult to get information out of some of the nurses they were often very brusque. I also saw a healthcare plonk a tray of food down in front of a patient who couldn't reach it so I helped her. Patients would be ringing the buzzer for water(which I used to get for them) or bedpans and were ignored for ages before an irate healthcare would turn up.

 

[veryfondoftea]

I worked in the NHS for most my adult working life until 4 years ago. In one position, my colleague and I reported my manager (a doctor) after months of her coming into work drunk and smashing her car drink driving and not doing any work. We were tired of holding the department together. The outcome? We both got put on gardening leave and had to sign an agreement (can’t remember what the type of agreement was called) and in exchange received a good reference and a pay off. The doctor remained in her job. Will add other experiences later!

 

[under the ivy]

While I hugely appreciate the NHS and its staff, I’ve experienced some poor events.

- I worked as a data admin and my manager was awful. She made me have a nervous breakdown and I was off sick. She never acknowledged my sick notes so I didn’t get sick pay. I fought with her and my union, didn’t get anywhere. The whole management system needs overhauling.

- GPs failed to prescribe the correct antibiotics for my nana's cellulitis. Ended up with her getting sepsis and nearly dying. She ended up thankfully on a drip with the correct antibiotics but the machine would stop working - I’d ask the nurses to fix it and they’d sigh or just wouldn’t bother. I watched how they once did it so when it stopped working, I would fix it. I also don’t like how they assume every over 65 year old is incapable of making decisions and assumes they have dementia. They did this with my Nana and without her consent, they did a dementia test on her. I feel they just read out of a book and don’t have the time to look at every patient as an individual.

- The mental health care waiting lists are abysmal. 9 months I had to wait for CBT. I was only diagnosed with BPD 2 years ago after going through various treatments with my MH.

 

[SavvyBee]

The NHS is on the whole, fantastic. I have been fortunate with my health and haven’t ever needed a hospital stay or even treatment beyond some minor diagnostic stuff over the years but have numerous relatives who received amazing emergency care and ongoing treatment without which they’d be dead or incredibly ill / blind / disabled. I’ve witnessed first hand the professionalism and care of some amazing amazing staff and really there are just never enough ways to thank those people.

I am expecting a baby and doing that through my private cover, the level of care and attention is fantastic, my consultant is available any time, I can always speak to the same person/team, my questions are answered, I could even take my husband to appointments before the NHS department in the same hospital building allowed that. My husband is also receiving private treatment for a joint injury - can see a consultant immediately, an MRI booked within a few days, follow up appointment and treatment booked within the following two weeks and well on his way to recovery. He wouldn’t have even had an assessment by now through the NHS as he was told in January that his GP simply wouldn’t be able to refer him “due to covid”. I’m very fortunate to have private cover and am glad that I can take some very small burden away from a struggling NHS but it’s a shame that people feel they need to because the backlog is so huge and the levels of care simply aren’t there. I don’t for one second believe the expertise or level of actual medical treatment is much better (my obstetrician works for private patients and the NHS for example) but there is less stress on them, less pressure, better access to facilities and referrals and they can therefore deliver better care.

It is frustrating at times that there seems to be so many millions ploughed in to the system that is mismanaged and spent in the wrong areas. Their technology and IT needs massively overhauling (absurd that paper notes are still relied upon and lost in 2021, that certain systems just don’t work well, etc). Middle managers who earn fortunes doing god knows what and on people who have been brought in from a consulting firm when more decision making needs to be done with people who are on the ground, working day in day out and know what they need and how better to spend money to deliver the best care.

There are unfortunately some bad eggs - uncaring staff, people who don’t want to be there, who cut corners; people who are not good at their jobs and fight against efficiency and common sense. I very much believe they are the minority but unfortunately bad news travels faster and stories of poor care and preventable tragedies will always overshadow so much of the good that is done.

 

[Purrrrrrr]

We had a similar experience with my Nan although not the fits, the food issue, leaving her in the toilet for 45 minutes (apparently she should have been grateful to be taken to the toilet and not left to piss in her bed). watching 1 Nurse run herself ragged trying to look after the patients while 5 other nurses sat at the station gossiping (all obese) My Dad put in a complaint and my Nan refused to go back to that hospital again so if she needed hospital treatment we would take her to our local hospital and claim she was staying with us. I refused to clap for the nurses, there are some absolute stars that work themselves to the bone but they are let down by too many lazy, fat, ignorant ones that don't get held to account.
Personally I blame the Unions, they protect staff like thi, completely oblivious to the fact that it is other staff that then have to cover the work, same problem in the Railway, almost impossible to get rid of lazy inefficient staff so the rest of us have to work twice as hard.

If I had not seen it with my own eyes I would not have believed it. I had been in hospital a lot as a youngster and had my kids in hospital, few niggles most mostly felt like I was cared for and cared about.
My sister must have been scared to death and those nurses just sat at the station chatting. I remember my sister crying when she started to go downhill and begging me to make sure no one took her to hospital. She was more scared of going back there than dying.

I have since had a few things myself and now don't go to the Drs or hospital. I find my own cures. for me now, hospitals are for accidents or emergencies.

Sorry, you have had bad experiences as well.

 

[Bloody orange Hell]

Thanks for setting this up! Bookmarking it to read later.

 

[Begborrowsteal]

- The mental health care waiting lists are abysmal. 9 months I had to wait for CBT. I was only diagnosed with BPD 2 years ago after going through various treatments with my MH.

It took 10yrs for me to get therapy for lifelong depressive episodes and BPD. 10yrs.

CBT is the generic treatment dished out. They should be offering you DBT for BPD. I got kicked out of the course due to being heavily pregnant though.

I love the idea of the NHS and what it is meant to symbolise and offer. I do not love the white-knighting of it. It is a huge organisation and should be held to account as any public sector organisation.

 

[grumpycat]

I’ve had wonderful experiences. My son was very poorly at a young age and the care he was given was fantastic.

Currently experiencing a terrible situation with the NHS bordering on negligence with a parent. I can’t fault the tests but I find the consultants incredibly hard to deal with, refusing one issue is due to a drug reaction when others have said it is.
One doctor yesterday admitted they hadn’t read any notes prior to meeting patient. I have more to add, but right now I am incredibly angry and let down by the NHS. said hospital is full - with 0 COVID patients but due to GP failures where issues have escalated beyond.

 

[Eirawen]

I have worked for the NHS for nearly 4 years. Couple of years ago I worked as an admin on a ward for about 6 months. There was an obese young health care assistant on there who was a very bad influence in her young colleagues. She would usually take a rabid dislike to one of the patients and when that poor soul pressed the buzzer she would say "don't answer it, let the old witch/bastard wait". This was within earshot of the equally lard arsed senior sister who was usually flirting with the junior doctors or chatting to her mate the cleaner who she used to go out boozing with On a positive note one of the older heath cares (whom I knew from school ) really cared for sick people whether she liked them or not and was often bleeping the doctors to come and give pain relief or whatever was needed. She is a gem but a dying breed I think.

 

[Purrrrrrr]

I have worked for the NHS for nearly 4 years. Couple of years ago I worked as an admin on a ward for about 6 months. There was an obese young health care assistant on there who was a very bad influence in her young colleagues. She would usually take a rabid dislike to one of the patients and when that poor soul pressed the buzzer she would say "don't answer it, let the old witch/bastard wait". This was within earshot of the equally lard arsed senior sister who was usually flirting with the junior doctors or chatting to her mate the cleaner who she used to go out boozing with On a positive note one of the older heath cares (whom I knew from school ) really cared for sick people whether she liked them or not and was often bleeping the doctors to come and give pain relief or whatever was needed. She is a gem but a dying breed I think.

Yes, I believe so too. It's the same with carers (and police IMO) treat people like crap and you will be left with the crap of the crop rather than the cream.

 

[Kinvarra]

What’s with the mentioning of staff weight (on a couple of posts)?

I had a brief stint in a non clinical role and was amazed at the back room (admin and management) overstaffing and out dated processes. Seems to me that’s where the money is leaking. Streamline support and you’ve got more funding for frontline staff. I encountered some dreadful attitudes in said support functions - slow, slow response times (in a world I’m afraid to say was not especially fast paced) - appalling. I was such a bad fit I was paid to leave - over £10k and, yes, a good reference. I was there less than a year.

A real eye opener.

 

[inkypinkyponky]

I have had some great experiences with the NHS for broken bones and appendicitis which i am really grateful for. However one incident 2 years ago has left me with PTSD.

I was having a severe psychotic episode, the crisis team were being useless. To cut a very long story short my husband had been struggling to keep me safe for 11 days. He had literally no sleep during that time as i didn't sleep. It got to the point i was not lucid at all and was fully hallucinating visually, auditory and even smell and taste. I thought everyone was trying to kill or hurt me. I was trying to climb out of upstairs windows and run out of the house naked. At his wits end he called an ambulance . The ambulance came the staff were lovely and took me in, they could see i needed help. My husband needed sleep so my mother in law went with me.

I have been told it was about 11pm when i arrived. My mother in law spent that whole time trying to keep me under control, trying to get me to keep my clothes on and not injure myself. The bits i can remember of the staff were that they were scolding me and telling me to behave myself (like i had control or choice about what was happening to me) they kept telling me there were people seriously ill there, but so was i just mentally!

Anyway around 2am my MIL went home as she felt she was making me worse as i was getting so upset with her. They were also relying on her to look after me instead of treating me. At one point i was stood on the bed and was falling backwards she was holding onto my hands to hold me up and begging the staff to help. 2 of them just stood and watched me fall off the back of the bed and bang my head.

So they drugged me up and i managed some sleep.. The next morning it all started again, they made me another appointment with the crisis team and prepared me for discharge. They called my husband to come get me.

By the time he arrived i was in the street being restrained by security staff. What had happened is they had kicked me out of the hospital with no shoes, no money, no phone and just in my PJs in January. One lucid moment i recall when i asked them what i would do security told me to start walking home. (15 miles) They were very rough with me, restrained me face down on a hard floor so i couldn't breath which is against restraint procedure

I ran off in my state down the road, i nearly ran out in front of a bus. luckily my delusions were telling me that if i didn't get within this 'forcefield of the hospital) i would die which kept me going back. Otherwise god knows where i would have ended up. It was that point my husband arrived with me being restrained on the ground as i had tried getting back in the hospital. The police were called who were fantastic with me and let my husband take me home

I was absolutely covered head to toe in bruises and swelling ( it is thought i fell down the stairs at the hospital at some point) The complaint is still going on 2 years on and has been an absolute shambles. I just want to be heard and have no other person with mental health problems treated in that way. They said i had behavioural problems it wasn't my bipolar or mania/psychosis. WTF .I'm a professional 32 year old woman who has never had behavioural problems ever, just documented mental health problems. Basically it was a Saturday night and they thought i was on drugs. Now im not saying i would have been easy to deal with but i was mentally very unwell and needed treatment and care. A vulnerable person should never be removed from a hospital according to their policies. What if it had been a 80 year old with dementia would they have done the same?

Sorry for the long post, this whole situation has left me with PTSD and with serious fears of hospitals and medical staff. I will never step foot in that specific hospital ever again if i can help it. Other medical professionals and psychiatric nurses i have told about my treatment are so shocked one even told me to go to the BBC. Staff are not trained correctly for mental health problems in that hospital and regularly assume people are drunk or on drugs when they are not. This same hospital allowed a mentally unwell woman who had just given birth to leave with her newborn baby and jump off a bridge killing herself and the baby ( The cctv showed they were busy chatting and eating to notice she was gone for quite a long time)

 

[Tazmundo91]

When my sister was in hospital with a brain tumour, two consultants had different ideas on her meds, one decreased her anti-fit meds and she had a huge fit that caused her to be paralysed all down her right side.

After that, I see some awful sights. She kept having fits and we would press the nurse buzzer and nothing, even though nurses were at the nurse station chatting... My sister was in the furthest ward in the furthest bed away, even though she was constantly having fits. Turned up one morning to see her sobbing with her breakfast in front of her they had put the tray on her table and left her to it. ( not the first time apaaprtily) bearing in mind she had no use in her right side and was right-handed. butter in a little tub, jam in a little tub, no way to hold the toast while she buttered etc. Hot tea etc WTF?

I went home got my bag and moved in and became her carer in the hospital.. She wanted to come home to die and so I had to prove I could lift her on my own from bed to wheelchair and back etc in front of consultants, Got her home ( sounds easy but it wasn't, it was awful and scary as they didn't want her to come home) She was so scared of being taken back into that hospital she made a DNR order and we had to have it with us all the time.

I’m not saying what you are saying isn’t true but no healthcare staff would be saying lift the patient. They would be ensuring the correct moving and handling equipment was in place for discharge.