"From Another Perspective"

Having read the stories and opinions on this forum about the QE I would like to add something from a nursing perspective. I appreciate how difficult it must be when either you or a friend or relative is unwell and care is not 'perfect', I also understand that staff can sometimes fall short of the mark and this is unacceptable, but who is to blame? Is it always the fault of the nursing staff? In my experience, we work long hard hours, often without a break to even go to the toilet or have something to eat or drink, because we are trying to do our best. Unfortunately, we aren't miracle workers and when we are short of staff we can't just magic people out of thin air or stop the clock to make more time in the day to look after everyone the way we would like to. We would love to be able to spend the time to get to know each and every one of our patients and to give them out undivided attention. Unfortunately, until funding is given to enable us to do this, it will never be possible and, although you may not believe this, it angers us as much as it does patients and their families. We are trying our best and, although I accept that there is a minority within our profession who do abuse their position, the majority of us go into nursing with the objective of making a positive difference to people’s lives.

In conclusion, I would ask that next time you feel the need to complain about the care given in hospital, think about who is truly responsible as I doubt it will be the nursing staff. We do try our best, but at the end of the day we are only human and we do have limitations too. Thank you all in advance for your consideration and I hope any future encounters any of you have with the QE are as positive as then can possibly be.