"Generally lack of "care" from NHS"

Over the past 6 months I have visited my GP several times and attended 3 hospitals for various scans and scopes and have found the care provided by staff members to be very inconsistent.  On some visits, I could not fault the staff and felt that staff were interested in me as a human being but on several other occasions I felt like I was on a production line, being rushed through as quickly as possible with little concern for my feelings.

The worst example I can give would be the one occasion when I had to stay overnight in Monklands General Hospital.  Having just had a procedure under general anaesthetic, I was taken to the Ward and felt like I was "dumped" and left.  I arrived in the ward at around 5.30pm and, having waited in the hall for about 10 minutes was moved to a bed in the ward.  I was asked to shuffle from one bed to the other and, having done this, my urethral catheter bag was placed on the bed under the blanket at my feet.  My vitals were checked, then the nurse left to go and find my belongings.  I was not offered anything to drink or eat and they didn't even bother to straighten the blankets.  A few minutes later the nurse returned with my bags so I was able to text my fiancé to let him know I was OK and in the ward (he had phoned the ward only 1 minute earlier to be told I was still in surgery!).  Having fasted since 5am and only had a drink of water at 9am that morning, I was extremely thirsty.  When the nurse came to check my vitals again about 45mins later, I mentioned that the drip (to flush my bladder through the catheter) was not dripping or going down at all.  The answer was that it just needed turned up - a blatant lie. 

Luckily, my fiancé brought water with him when he arrived at 6.30pm but we had to ask the nurse if I was allowed water or food. The first response was no, as the board above my bed had someone else's name on it and "nil by mouth" ticked, so we informed them that the name hadn't been changed.  We asked if I could have anything to eat and I have to say I was shocked by the response.  Their answer was they don't have any food but WH Smith will still be open!  In actual fact, as it was nearly 8pm W H Smith was closing but, why should a patient have to buy their own food anyway?  The nurse came back with a fruit pot and a few crackers and a small square of dairylea cheese spread.  On the plus side, at least they changed the name above my bed and put the catheter bag into a cradle on the floor so that it could drain properly.  They also emptied the catheter bag a little as we had pointed out to her that it was nearly full!

Needless to say it was a very uncomfortable night's stay and I got very little sleep.  When I was offered food and hot drinks the next day, I was disappointed that they do not offer hot drinks without caffeine and the only choice of bread is white.  The NHS leaflet I was given before admission reads "when you arrive at the ward we will settle you in and make sure that you are comfortable" and "Food and fluid are an important part of your care.  We provide a wide choice, including healthy options".  Quite frankly I think these statements are a joke and certainly not my experience of a stay in Monklands.

I was very disappointed and upset at the lack of care I experienced and am not looking forward to my future hospital visits.  I can understand that nurses are under a lot of pressure but, at the same time, I witnessed them chatting amongst themselves at length on several occasions when they could have been working.  I did also experience one or two nurses who were far more attentive and showed genuine care for me but these were in the minority.  After this experience, I pity anyone who has to be admitted to hospital.