Serious Defeciencies in Public Health System (esp A&E).

Leper said:
I dont believe there was urine on the floor all night for three nights.
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Leper I don't get that you think the the OP and truthseeker are not telling the truth? Why don't you believe them? In any case why would they lie? For what reason can you possible think they would make these stories up?

Both posters are a long time on here and are not known for telling fibs?
 

This is exactly the kind of thing that would stop me posting on forums. I was there. I was not making it up. If so, I would have a very vivid imagination and nothing else to do. And for what reason?

Leper was not there. I always thought the point of this forum was to Let off Steam - not to cross question a genuine experience.

Now, excuse me, I am now off to bring my dad to hospital again for 11.30.

Maybe there is a reason you are a leper.(sorry that is a bit below the belt, but is justified)
 

Last time I posted on this I was queried nastily to the point of anger by another poster resulting in me being warned over the language I used. The reason I became angry was because I had an emotional involvement in the story.

This time - the crisis is over, my relations health is good for now - if some stranger on a website doesnt want to believe a particular experience they read on a website - thats their problem not mine.

I agree with amtc though - it is the kind of posting behaviour that would put you off posting on forums.
 
amtc said:
.(sorry that is a bit below the belt, but is justified)
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Hi amtc, I know you're stressed with your own problems and your dad being ill etc but I don't think you meant the last point, Leper too is a great poster on here and he must have his reasons for posting what he did.

I do wish though we could get to the bottom of what is going on at the coal face of the health system and why it seems to be going so wrong. I can never figure out what it is that is creating such a mess.
 
Bronte said:
I do wish though we could get to the bottom of what is going on at the coal face of the health system and why it seems to be going so wrong. I can never figure out what it is that is creating such a mess.
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What is causing the mess is restrictive work practices, and a health service that is more focussed on the wants of the employees, rather than the needs of the patient.

Simple.
 

Thank you Bronte. Also, I dont believe that Amtc meant to offend and I took no offence. But, to be a little leprous I would say that contributing to fora such as this you must be able to give and take reasonable criticism.

I'll say my reasons why I dont believe the full truth was told here (there is a difference between the full truth and the truth). Also, I was not there and I am only looking at the written evidence to hand here.

1. We dont know if the urine on the floor was a droplet, egg cup full, cup full, bowl full etc. I'm not asking for fluid ounces here, I'm merely pointing out that full clarification is required. Why was the staff not informed of the urine in the first place?

2. It was there for three nights and cleaned up each morning. Was this a special clean or was it in the normal cleaning of a hospital area?

3. Nurses protect their Nursing Registration like we protect our children. I dont believe any nurse would risk a threat his/her registration over a urine spill however small.

4. Attendants work in hospitals who work under supervision from Nurses etc. If an attendant fell down on the job they risk (a) Suspension (b) The Sack (c) Forced move to non patient care area. Somebody earlier pointed out that hospital staff appeared to be exempt from any of these. I can cathegorically say this is a blatant lie.

5. A urine spill can cause infection and is a hazard which would contribute to slips and falls. A hospital intent on not cleaning up such spills would be leaving itself open to serious litigation.

I would point out the onus is on people to complain where complaint is necessary. These complaints should be directed to where they will be heard and acted upon. Aiming jibes at medical, clerical, portering, security etc is a waste of time and creates sideshows which keeps those responsible farting in silk.

If I had a penny for all the non-full-truth stories from people who attended at hospitals I would not be feeling the effects of the Recession.

Please note:- I print all of the above not meaning any offence to anybody. They are general comments and not aimed at any particular situation.
 
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Interestingly. I deliberated over many days on the type of Health Insurance policy that I would need as my policy came due for renewal. VHI or Laya. To include private or semi private in public hospitals or private hospitals etc etc etc. Just reading through this thread makes me realise that I might as well go for the cheapest option because in the end I will end up on a trolley anyhow.
 
Only if you are taken to hospital by ambulance.

If you have private health insurance, the Blackrock Clinic and the Beacon both now have A & E services and, if I had to crawl there on my hands and knees, I would make sure I got to one of them before I would go near a public hospital.

There is a fee for the initial A & E consultation, but if you are admitted, then the VHI or Laya Healthcare take over. You would need to check your plan to make sure you are covered as some of the plans don't cover full accommodation costs, for example.
 

+1

My father in law actually begged the ambulance to take him to James where all his medical history is and where he has been told by his stroke consultant to get to within 3 hours if he thinks he is having another stroke - but no go.

He will never call another ambulance. Never.
 
My parents live within 10 minutes of Blanchardstown which is why he was taken there.He wouldn't have been let home (which is where he wanted to be) from anywhere southside so there are pluses and minuses. He goes up every day at 10am for bloods.

I'm sorry that this thread has degenerated into me being so neglectful as to not bring a fluid measuring device with me, but I can say that I did see urine seeping into my dad's cubicle. I have no idea if it was cleaned as part of a general or specialist clean, all I know is it was there all day on the days that my dad was there.

My points re the other items remain - lack of chairs, pilllows, smoking, inability to get answers.
 
Posters,

Please use the report post facility if you think that any posting guidelines have been breached.

Personalised off topic posts will be deleted.

Topic Reminder: Serious Defeciencies in Public Health System (esp A&E) (title expanded my moderator)


aj
moderator
 
When the regional health boards were amalgamated into the HSE, there should have been large scale compulsory redundancies with many of the duplicate positions centralised. This never happened but what did happen was managers developed lots and lots of new roles, processes, workflows and procedures to keep everyone busy. It has lead to incredible waste and lots of very well paid back office staff doing jobs that add little value if any. It is very difficult for the frontline nurses and doctors to do their jobs.

A friend of mine went in recently with a pain in her side. They told her it was an appendix and needed to come out. She was on a trolley in A&E for over 36 hours and was scheduled for surgery. However they had a rule that unless there was a ward bed available, surgery was not allowed. Fair enough perhaps but the surgeons were ready and willing to go but were blocked by the 'Bed Manager'. Eventually the appendix burst. Not good. As soon as she got a bed, they operated. The operation took a lot longer because the 'mess' needed to be cleaned out. She spent a week in hospital on strong anti-biotics because of risk of infection. If they had operated immediately, she would have only stayed 2 days. Of course this probably meant more people on trolleys in A&E waiting for that bed. The porter told us that they had closed a ward in the hospital (UCHG) a few weeks previously which adds pressure. My point is that if we took the health budget and targeted at the nurses, doctors, beds & facilities with an efficient administration system, we could have an excellent health service. The amount of money wasted is simply rediculous.
 

Your response is quite extraordinary. It's like a way of speaking that doesn't answer a question but instead seeks to go off on a tangent to avoid dealing with the issue.

What difference does it make how much urine or what type of cleaning was carried out?

It's quite clear to me that urine was there over 3 days and nobody is able to tell us why it would not be cleaned forthwith. That's not a complicated question surely.
 
delgirl said:
Only if you are taken to hospital by ambulance.

.
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Can you explain this to me as I'm getting a bit lost on this too.

If you go to a public hospital by ambulance you go on a trolley. But if you go there by car you do not?

Everybody who arrives in hospital is treated as a public patient even if they have private health insurance, is that it?
 
Birroc said:
It is very difficult for the frontline nurses and doctors to do their jobs.

They told her it was an appendix and needed to come out. Eventually the appendix burst. Not good.
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That appendix story is appalling.

Can you explain what you mean by management making it difficult for the nurses and doctors to do their jobs? Do doctors and nurses not get on with management and do they see them as an obstacle to getting the job done efficiently?
 

If you go in an ambulance you get brought to the public hospital for your cachement area. If you go by car you can choose your A&E. If there is a hospital you have a preference for (whether because your medical records are there or because you want to go to a private only hospital) you need to go by car.
 
Yes, even if you have private health insurance, you are treated the same as a public patient in the public hospitals.

An ambulance will take a patient to the nearest public hospital and will not take patients to private hospitals nor will the private hospitals accept patients coming in in public ambulances.

So if you have private health insurance and can make it by car to one of the private hospitals that have an A & E facility (eg. Beacon and Blackrock Clinic), you will be seen within minutes in a clean, efficient hospital with excellent in-patient care.

The fee for the initial A & E consultation at the Beacon is €120 and if you're admitted, then your private health insurance kicks in according to the level of cover.

The A & E charge in the public hospitals is €100 if you don't have a GP referral letter and, unless you have chest pain or difficulty breathing, you can expect to wait for many hours before being seen by a doctor.
 
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