What I liked
The nurses themselves were friendly and kind. The new TVs were very nice.
Some nurses excellent at giving timely pain relief- often thinking of patients who were in lots of pain before they once again got called into something else.
What could be improved
The standard of day to day care of the patients on D5 was very poor.
The staff were run off their feet with several very sick and needy patients leaving the rest of the ward fending for themselves and trying to help each other as best they could.
Often call bells went on for 20-45 mins.
Very confused patients left without adequate care. Nurses desperately trying to look after several side room patients and the main ward
Patients who are left out of bed, cold and in pain because staff are constantly called away and don't return- sometimes for hours.
One patient was vomiting for 3 days all her medication up. Too ill to explain that she couldn't manage the meds every nurse tried again to get her to take more tablets and she vomitted them all up again, 3 days of this before a member of staff noticed enough to have her drs change the medication to IVs.
Horrendous.
The situation on D5 is better than it was, more regular staffing but there are always agency staff on duty and the food is more regular times so it has improved.
It is a million miles away from "hourly nurse time" however.
Low levels of co-ordinated care, the dr might order a test but its up to you to chase when you are getting it. Nurses and drs not working together and mix ups over things like how much medication a patient has actually consumed is rather important but isnt handed over with clarity. Lack of co-ordinated care between drs teams is the norm and shrugged off with a smile and a "thats the NHS for you!"
Only 1 sats monitor on a respiratory ward is life threatening and again not addressed.
No point in complaining as it gets white washed behind patient:staff ratios but that makes no difference with a very heavy work load on 3 patients who need 2:1 care and leave the rest of the ward with no care. Just 1 pair of hands at times would have made all the odds.
At sometimes the ward was closed due to D and V but there were immuno compromised patients on an open ward...
Anything else?
The Staff are nice.
The nurses are good
But its frantic rushing about
and no co-ordinated care
what happened to named staff for each patient?
"Always short staffed. Very nice staff. Poor care..."
About: Southampton General Hospital Southampton General Hospital Southampton SO16 6YD
Posted via nhs.uk
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