I have to say how disappointed I was with the standard of care shown in several departments. I was sent straight from my GP to A&E. The receptionist in Carlisle A&E was cold and abrupt. The triage nurse was much more pleasant and professional & quickly arranged for a room to be made available while I waited for a member of the gyno team to check on my baby (30wks pregnant). Nurse from gyno was brilliant & very reassuring. Was then transferred to Ambulatory Care where nurses were again cold & seemed uninterested. I was told I needed an X-ray to which I said I was concerned as I was pregnant so I`d rather avoid exposing the baby. It seemed a real inconveinence when I asked if my blood tests to be re-checked to confirm if X-ray was critical as they were borderline. I`d had an ECG & still had the sticky pads visible on my neck. The nurse at the desk thought it was appropriate in a room full of people all waiting to say "why are you still wearing those pads? You can take them off you know" if this had been said in jest then I wouldnt have felt so embarrassed, but it was said in a very sarcastic manner. I still had the pads on as the nurse had left them on me after the ECG. I felt as though the nurse was trying to make me look stupid, when I was already concerned about my health & worried about scans I may need that could harm my unborn baby. Blood tests confirmed so I agreed to an X-ray. X-ray department staff were great & very understanding, helping me to wear appropriate lead shielding. Was then transferred back to Ambilatory Care to wait for results. I was informed I needed a VQ scan which involves inhaling & being injected with radioactive isotopes. I was obviously concerned with this result (I am a Nuclear Analyst & I understand the implications of this procedure) I was assured the process would pose minimum risks, however when I began asking specific questions the consultant was unable to answer or at least point me in the right direction of where I could find the answers. This was concerning as this was the professional that was attempting to reassure me& encourage me to go ahead. The Gamma Camera is currently broken in Carlisle so I would need to travel to Whitehaven for the procedure, which I didn`t mind. I then returned to the waiting room where I was handed a box containing syringes & told "these must be for you". I had been told briefly by the consultant that I would need to inject myself twice a day, but I hadn`t been told how to do it or any other information. I asked this nurse if they could show me before I left. The nurse was a bit patronising and told me to pinch my arm, push it in & press. They did one for me & it was really painful & burned. Later that night I had a satsuma sized white lump on my arm that was really painful. I rang my own GP the next day to make appointment with the nurse so she could go over how to inject with me. The nurse was shocked & angry after I told her what had happened.
"Inconsistencies with standards between departments"
About: Cumberland Infirmary Cumberland Infirmary Carlisle CA2 7HY
Posted via nhs.uk
Do you have a similar story to tell?
Tell your story & make a difference ››
Responses
See more responses from Cumberland Infirmary