"HCA Blood Draw / Ward Cleaning"

Inpatient stay for two nights. I wish to share my experiences of an HCA taking blood on one of the wards.

First off they were training which I appreciate so this was not the issue but my concerns was with basic hygiene. First off no gloves were used. I did not see the HCA wash their hands or use a hand gel prior to preparing to take my blood. They proceeded to poke and prod to find a vein, eventually they then wiped the area clean, then poked and prodded a little more without gloves and all whilst having dirty fingernails so my arm was no longer clean. I actually felt sick at watching them and I am so use to having blood taken. After two attempts a nurse took it, again I did not see hand washing or using a hand gel and also no gloves. She got blood first attempt.

I'm not naming the ward as I don't want to get the HCA or nurse into trouble as they were so friendly but I think there needs to be a clear policy on gloves and hand washing.

Also on the same ward a patient tore out a cannula in the bathroom and blood was everywhere. A student nurse attempted to clean up the murder scene and I watched them use a bloody dirty towel to wipe down the area repeatedly. Blood still remained the next day as several patients in the ward noticed it, hidden on the shower handle, seat, curtain etc. The cleaner on the ward also cleaned the next morning but didn't clean thoroughly enough. Surely if a patient has an accident of this nature, the bathroom should be closed off and a cleaning team called to thoroughly clean and disinfect the area as well as change the shower curtain? The morning ward cleaner also did not clean the toilet.

I cannot fault the care, but some standards need to be improved.