Originally posted by Ginga

I wonder how many more hospital staff around the country are too driven by business and profits, that they are not doing their jobs properly and many more people are dying unnecessarily?

Originally posted by A boy in a dress
Many moons ago in England, my Father had an external ulcer on his lower-leg and went to
his Doctor for treatment. After being told to 'rub this cream on and it'll go away' -he took to
his bed with the pain and swelling.
My Mother eventually rang the same Doctor and he came and announced that a female
nurse would come and tend to the wound.
Days passed.

Thinking that the ulcer may be more than just an awful sight, my Mother called the hospital
and explained the situation to the folk there. The Doctor had just left and assured her all
would be well, but she wasn't convinced.
The ambulance arrived at noon of that day and they amputated the leg above the knee by
2.00pm in the afternoon.

Two weeks later, he was dead.

Five years passed and my Mother visited my home for Christmas. She commented that she
didn't seem to have an appetite these days and said that her stomach 'seemed like stone'
After a few weeks, she went to the same Hospital and asked for advice.

They checked her in and we visited her in the ward that evening.
I asked the Doctor during his rounds, what was wrong and he said that 'we're still doing
tests' and moved off.
A week later, I popped in on my way from work and found the bed empty. Seeking a nurse,
I asked where my Mother was and she answered 'the woman in the next bed wanted her
curtain closed and your Mother went to help. She's fallen and broken her hip'

I went ballistic! I demanded to see an official and when eventually, a guy in a white coat
arrived, he explained that due to the Nurses changing their shift, nobody had been there
to assist the woman with the curtain, so my Mother had got out of bed and slipped.
Oh, so that makes it okay I suppose?!

She died a week later.

I waited at her bedside with my sister as my Mother slipped away and then as midnight
passed, I indicated to my sister that a Doctor should check to see if she had died.

Standing in the corridor as the Doctor and Nurse checked to see if my Mother had gone,
a little woman in nylon shawl appeared and said that it was a shame and that she knew
my Mother through the years.
I smiled and thanked her and that was when I noticed the three or four people waiting
further up the corridor. The woman continued.
"I wouldn't bother making anything out of her fall, it was an accident" she said nervously
and glanced back at the folk watching us.
She added that I probably wouldn't get any money from it too!
Biting down on my anger, I told her in low tones that nothing I could do would bring her back,
so she could scamper back to her 'rat-gang' and tell them they'll keep their jobs.

As she hurried off, I warned that I would be watching and listening for any more screw-ups.
It was only my sister's hand on my arm that stopped me from chasing after them.

This was in the 90's -when hosptial treatment was in it's infancy, thank the Lord we've
come a long way since then, huh?!!

Am fed up with the media saying nurses are # today! Why is no one saying it is not ok for 2 nurses to look after 28 patients and go for 15 hours with hardly anything to eat & drink! I have worked at Stafford hospital & it is no worse than any other hospital I have worked in. If the government want to make us more compassionate make the nurse to patient ratio 1 nurse to 4 patients like it is in Australia & stop slagging us off we work #ing hard! Rant over.