"Care following fractured ankle"

Unfortunately I went over on my ankle in early February coming down the steps at the train station.   I knew almost instantly that I had done some real damage as unable to put foot to the floor or stand.  The staff in the station were brilliant,  phoned an ambulance and stayed with me trying to take my mind of the pain I was in.  Thankfully did not seem to wait too long until the ambulance arrived and the crew were really kind and caring getting me to ED very quickly.   

The care in UHD ED was second to none.  I was looked after by a really lovely nurse who I think was called either Rachel or Rebecca ( sorry as you can imagine my head was not the clearest!)  I got x-rayed and then given sedation and pain relief to aline my foot which was confirmed as fractured in 3 places , and placed in a cast.  I was to be kept in to await decision about surgery.   

From the safety of ED I was taken to one of the trauma and orthopaedic wards and nursed in a corridor bed.  This is when things changed in relation to quality of care received.   I fully understand the pressures in the health service but clearly that corridor bed was not the place to put someone who was totally immobile with no means to call for help, especially as it was the furthest point away from the nurses station.  I did try shouting for a nurse at one stage when I woke at 02:00 in a lot of pain but was a total waste of time.  The first I was able to get any attention was at 05:00 when the nurse came to check on another patient.   It was at least another 30 minutes before I got pain relief.   

To add insult to injury there was no bathroom facilities for beds in the corridor and I had to be taken to the public toilet on the outside of the ward when needing the bathroom.   Again it was difficult getting anyone's attention to take me and had to wait until either the medicine round or the food was being given out.  I ended up restricting my fluid intake as could not guarantee would get to the toilet in time.

I must also make a mention of the food offerings which was of poor quality, over cooked and quite salty.  The worst though had to be the not only stale but blue mould wheaten bread I got for breakfast.  

As there was no hope of getting a bed I was given the option to go home to await surgery on the second day which wasn't really much of a choice given the arrangements in the corridor. 

Thankfully I was called in the following Monday to day of surgery.   Again another positive experience as the nurse caring for me was very thorough and attentive. 

Down to anaesthetics and the nurse was very calming and reassuring. The anaesthetist took on board my concerns about being sick post op and reassured me he could counteract this and would also ensure I had good pain relief. 

Back in recovery and I could not ask for any better care and attention and all the staff really kept my spirits up, in particular Afeena, Vinosh, Nikitha and Alexandra.  I had the best toast and coffee there, than I have had in a long time!  One of the nurses worked hard with the bed manager etc to get me a bed on a ward but had a contingency of a quieter area for me to go to if things had not worked out as they did.  It is reassuring when you know that those looking after you are advocating for you as well.

I ended up back in the ward i had been in before but thankfully not in a corridor this time.

Of note there was a nurse Marilyn who looked after me very well overnight,  checking on me every 2 hours and nothing was ever any trouble to her.

There was also a very nice Bank staff nurse during the day who helped me get a shower which was greatly appreciated.

A few other things of note was the cleanliness of the shower in the ensuite as had dirt and fluff along the edge of the floor and around the plug hole, a sign it had obviously not been cleaned.   With infection control being paramount in the health service I found it strange that disposable BP cuffs are not used like in other trusts.  

Finally on a positive note I would like to give a shout out to the team in the fracture clinic who had to change my POP prior to my first discharge.   They were very professional, highly skilled and with good distraction techniques did not cause me to suffer too much pain.

Overall the majority of the staff I came in contact with were excellent and there were some good experiences but there are certainly areas that need improvement.