I have recently had the poor experience of being a patient at Monklands under the care of medical team for a TIA. I visited my GP recently, complaining of severe head ache, visual disturbances of my left eye and numbness of my left side and balance issues. My gp instantly referred me to A and E as a matter of urgency due to high blood pressure and neurological tests completed that made him query a Stroke. My gp had telephoned down ahead of my daughter driving me to A and E and was told I would be seen immediately.
I reached Monklands A and E at 16.30 to be told to have a seat and I would be called in. My daughter who is a well experience trained nurse had advised the reception that I was to be seen immediately, so a kind nurse took me into a assessment bay to have bloods, neurological observations and standard observations done and reassurance. I completed this to be told have a seat out in the waiting room as they were waiting on bed for me in MAU.
I had advised I was unsteady on my feet and feeling dizzy at this point to which I had to take my daughters arm. I then waited in severe pain again and yet I hadn’t been seen by a medical professional at this point.
I proceeded to wait another 4 hours with my daughter and wife in a waiting room in pain, I had asked for pain relief and nurse had prescribed painkillers to which it had no effect.
After these 4 hours passed I had been took into MAU ward around the corner from main a and e department, I walked and was unsteady on my feet and my daughter had to help me as I had to walk from waiting room to this ward. I proceeded to the nurses station and I was greeted by a lovely friendly nurse who placed me into a room and advised that a member of staff would be back to clean up the mess in the room, as previous patient had just left. The room was totally disgusting, the last patients sputum sample was still lying on the table, the bed hadn’t been changed and a dirty nebuliser mask was still sitting next patient locker. I therefore couldn’t lie down and was even more uncomfortable left sitting in a small chair. We had to ask a hour later if the room could be cleaned. I then waited another 4 hours whilst my daughter noted that no member of staff had been to do any kind of observations since my first admittance into a and e (16.46pm). She flagged up several times and how much I was in pain and would the doctor be much longer. A nurse came in and handed me two paracetamol with no water to take my tablets with so my daughter had to give me her water. Two hours later (now midnight) I am still waiting on the doctor to see me, baring in mind my GP referred me urgently due to concern of a stroke.
I was then advised by a member of staff that due to previously being administered paracetamol I needed to wait which is understandable. My daughter had advised that it was unacceptable that a patient who is potentially having a stroke hasn’t had any neurological observations or even a blood pressure completed as this was raised earlier and that she knew that SIGN Guidelines states that patients with potential diagnosed/undiagnosed with TIA’s must be treated with anti-thrombosis/thrombosis within 60-90 minutes from admission and have hourly observations carried out, the nurse had looked at my charts puzzled as someone had documented that they had been in at 21.00pm. No member of staff had been in but on my notes the time and signature had been documented that someone had been in.
The nurse was appalled at this and immediately had asked the staff on duty what had happened.
At 1am in the morning after my daughter stating she was a trained experienced nurse and that no observations had taken place or admittance had taken place in MAU eventually seen doctor, who had advised I needed a CT scan which I went for around 2am. From there I got transferred to another ward called AMRU whose care was outstanding, the nurses and Drs care was very patient centred care. They helped in every way they could possibly and reassured me and also spoke with great detail of what had happened. I have now been diagnosed through my CT scan as having a mini tia.
The outcome of my hospital visit was appalling, the lack of nursing care and patient centre care from ward MAU is totally unacceptable and in my opinion verged on patient neglect. I believe nurses have a duty of care to patients to treat them with kindness, respect and compassion, to which my care wasn’t. It was a neglect of basic nursing care.
To go 7.5/8 hours without any observations or effective pain relief is inhumane and incompetent. The only positive experience I had in that ward was with one member of staff who was lovely and very understandable and pro patient care. This member of staff reassured me and also took over my care others. This member of staff went above and beyond nursing standards and maintained their professional practice and compassion for their patients. To this person I say thank you.
I fear that if I was on my own and compromised I may not have had an advocate in my care. The whole center surrounding nursing care is that a nurse will be the patients advocate, to put the interest of the patients safety and to make sure their dignity is preserved. Both my dignity and my faith in nursing care has been tainted by this whole experience.
"Lack of Nursing care"
About: University Hospital Monklands / General Medicine (Wards 2,10,12 and 17) University Hospital Monklands General Medicine (Wards 2,10,12 and 17) ML6 0JS
Posted by orangetg53 (as ),
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