The NHS in the South Today

[waghorn]

The NHS in the South Today

I started work in the then Heart and Lung unit of St Mary’s Hospital Portsmouth in the summer of 1995. A very different culture and work ethos to my previous experiences of the NHS throughout the United Kingdom.
My initiation into the caring profession was in Dundee Royal Infirmary way back in 1962. I was hooked from day one. Every aspect of hospital life appealed to my sense of giving, and providing a service to the needy.
 The black highly polished nurses shoes echoing tip tap on the scrubbed clean tiled corridor floors. The rustle of their starched pristine white aprons as they approached each patient on the ward and tidied beds and lockers.
The young good looking English doctors struggling to understand the broad Scottish accents of the patients in their care.
The tailored smooth and suave consultants who lead their entourage from ward to ward issuing instructions to the all-worshiping sisters in charge.
Then there was me. The wee sixteen-year-old ECG girl who picked up the request forms after the rounds and was expected to complete all tests by the end of that day. All these ingredients and many more made up our busy varied working life.

 The medical wards were where I spent most of my day. Every patient had an ECG on admission and sometimes I would make friends with my ‘regulars’. After all these years I can still see a young teenage farm girl, Maureen, who had a serious heart disease. There were no heart transplants then to save such patients. On Christmas Day 1964 ward, auxiliary, domestic and technical staff provided her with glamorous nightwear and a fluffy pink bed jacket. Nurses applied make-up to her freckled face. She sat up waiting for her heartthrob doctor to speak to her. The young House Officer duly approached and with mock incredulity doubted if this was the real Maureen. She giggled and blushed with joy. On Boxing Day she died peacefully dressed in her pink nightdress, matching jacket and angora bed socks and round her eyes just a trace of electric blue eye shadow.

 We were drawn from different cultures and ethnicities but our common goal was the welfare of the patients. We all wanted to make a difference to give hope and renewed quality of life. A service provided from the cradle to the grave.
Such huge responsibilities on so many young shoulders. In our spare time we collected toys and games for the children’s wards. We raised money for equipment and we were on call weekends and evenings. We were not goody two shoes, we worked hard and played hard.
To parody the Marks and Spencer adverts, this was no ordinary job, this was an NHS Job. We never considered our labours as a burden only a privilege. 
This was the culture and attitude of every hospital I worked in. From Scotland to the north of England to the Midlands.
In my naivety I assumed when I took up post in Portsmouth that the same rules standards and responsibilities would apply. Not so.
I realised that the light of human kindness was much dimmed when I observed a delighted senior member of staff send a little old lady home because she was five minutes late for her half hour appointment due to traffic. ‘What does she think this is? The Hairdressers! Exclaimed the senior. ‘I am not doing it now it will put me behind’ as she proceeded to book her next holiday on the telephone.
I wish I could say this was a one off and that it only represented a bad hair day that we all have on occasion. Unfortunately I cannot, and the people who suffer most are the elderly.
I watched a senior member of staff have six months fully paid sick leave from 1995 until 2006.
I saw staff read magazines and chat on the telephone to their friends whilst elderly patients waited an indeterminate time.
They are the ones who never complain; especially here in Portsmouth. Their stoic acceptance of the poor cardiac service that they pay for is nothing short of martyrdom. I understand the patient’s reluctance to be a ‘bother’ because they think in the long run this may affect their treatment or they don’t want to upset anyone. This results in the unacceptable becoming the acceptable.
The Chief Executive has on several occasions’ evaded disclosure of the waiting lists for Echo’s. I would estimate the figure to be around eleven months. The cry always goes up. ‘We are waiting until we have enough staff’. Trust me, they will never have enough staff. How about concentrating on improving the working capacity of the staff you have.
 Basingstoke is not so reticent. Theirs is an eleven-week waiting list and they are working to get it down to seven weeks. Yes they have less patients they also have a lot less staff.
How does this affect Pompey pensioners? By and large, patients put ahead of the list are cardiologist patients whilst Geriatric patients wait longer. Last year there was a backlog of one hundred 24-hour tapes to be analysed. These tapes can diagnose whether a patient needs a pacemaker by measuring heart blocks. Waiting for a pacemaker can be life threatening. At my last count there was twenty members of staff who are paid to do this job, yet they were only required to do five in a four-hour session. This is half the national average and only eight or nine staff members have to do any at all.
We deserve better. Stop accepting the unacceptable. This is your NHS you can make a difference to the service by writing to your city councillors, or contacting your MP.
 
   

[Sally]

Not just the South I'm afraid Waghorn.  The north is suffering from the same malaise.  Unfortunately we are in a position (my husband has a terminal illness) where we are too frightened to make any complaints.  I am frightened that he will suffer because of anything I might say.  There are those who still see the nurses as ministering angels and to be fair, I suppose there must be a few somewhere. Our experience is that they are extremely lazy and they adopt a view that the patients are a nuisance to them.  One of the most important, easy and cheap solutions to the severe problems in the NHS is to get rid of the 'Nurses Station'.  At least 8 of them have sat round this huge desk before Christmas making Christmas decorations for a competition among the staff; using only equipment and provisions from within the ward itself.  Water jugs were empty, bells went unanswered ... as I said.  To frightened to do anything about it.

[waghorn]

Please Oh please Sally write what you have written to the chief excecutive of the hospital you refer to in this piece.
I promise you nothing can be done to harm you or your loved ones.
I know it takes great courage to confront the mighty machine of the NHS and to dispute the claims that hospital staff are downtrodden overworked salt of the earth.
I recognise that nursing satation you describe. Last time I was in QAH hospital F3 ward there were three female staff  nurses reclining on the desk and one male nurse watching the football on the screen! They remained in that position until we left visiting one and a half hours later.

Nothing changes unless changes are made. Please Sally write that letter.
J Waghorn

[Sally]

Oh Joyce, if only I dare.  I have never been a shrinking violet and my working life has been spent in senior managerial positions within local government.  If it was just my welfare I was concerned about I'd have done it in a flash.  But not my poor husband who is totally dependent upon any goodwill they feel like dispensing.
What a state to be in.
And to all those who are confidently reading this and thinking that they'll never be in this position because they've got private health care.  Think again.  Through his employer my husband had full BUPA cover, but as soon as it was realised that he had a serious illness, he was transferred straight back on to the NHS as BUPA did not have the skills/resources to cope!!
It's a sad story though.  How many others are intimidated/bullied and ignored at the end of their lives.

[waghorn]

Dear Sally
I have found it most difficult to word this e.mail in a way that will give you comfort at a time when it is care that is needed not words of kindness.
Another avenue open to you is your local councillor. They will, if requested keep your concerns annoymous as they investigate.
It is a source of bemusment that I read in the papers yesterday that an outraged journalist writes more NHS job cuts will occur.
In the dept I worked in the over staffing levels were as such that when any sort of inspection occured half the staff had to make themselves scarce and others had to 'look busy'so management would not see them

[Sally]

Thanks Joyce.  It's little kindnesses like yours that make life seem worth it after all.  To be honest, having worked in local government I wouldn't trust any of them.  All I can do at the moment is make sure that at least one member of the family is there for most of the day, so we are arranging a sort of manning timetable.  Thanks again

[waghorn]

Yipee, a result !!
Mike Hancock MP for Portsmouth North has put a parliamentry question about waiting lists in the cardiac dept of the QAH. He tells me that this means the chief executive can no longer be evasive. That remains to be seen.
The other thing is that at last the Health Care Commision are also involved and they are investigating the service. surely they will not come away empty handed. I will keep you informed.
Joyce

[Sally]

Is this all down to you Joyce?  If so, very well done indeed.  It's no use us moaning and groaning if that's all we do.  Like everything else, it's action that's needed.  Great result.

[waghorn]

I hope it is a great result Sally.
 It would appear that the chief executive is giving the MPs the same run around as she gave me. Hopefully the parliamentary question will have the desired result. If not its back to the drawing board but I am determined not to give in. Just call me Ahab and the NHS is my Great White whale. I just hope I don't have his end!!
Love
Joyce

[waghorn]

Confused? You will be
In the post this morning I received three letters. One from the secretary of state for health telling me that there was a waiting list of 13 weeks for echoes median. The next letter was from U Ward via Mike Hancock stating there was a 6 month waiting list for echoes. what a way to fiddle the figures.
One was from Sarah McCarthy Fry to say she has been invited to a meeting with the hospital for a meeting. They would prefer it if she was on her own!!!!!!!!! No surprise there then.
The usual rubbish about growing their own Echocardiographers because they don't have enough. 11 is not enough, they would never have enough.
What a load of baloney.

[Sally]

I think the run-around is inbuilt.  How frustrating; it makes me want to scream   
I had very similar at our hospital last year.  Cancer patients lying on plastic matresses in pools of sweat.  No ventilation allowed because of low immune systems.  I had protested right up through the ranks to no avail then one day I was visiting when I saw men from an air-conditioning firm on the flat roof outside the Ward.  Result I thought! Investigation revealed they were putting it into the Restaurant on the floor above the Cancer Ward!!! I threatened them with Human Rights legislation.  We got the air conditioning.
Human Rights Legislation frightens them to death Joyce.  Could you get someone to check if they are infringing your HR by the length of the waiting period? A Law Centre if you have one (they operate for free) would be able to advise.  You sound as if you have got the bit between your teeth now, so keep at it.  I know you haven't got a result yet, but well done so far

[waghorn]

Thanks Sally,
You have done amazingly well and are inspirational. Yesterday when I go the the correspondence from The Secretary for health I was so down hearted. It is true what they say. There  lies damn lies and statistics. How they came to 13 weeks is a joke when in reality it is more than 6 months.
Your contact has spurred me on I will keep going.
Joyce

[Sally]

As long as you find some inspiration from somewhere Joyce.  I think the advantage I had was that it wasn't for me ... it's so much easier when fighting for others.  In this case my poor husband.  I still have battles to fight - mainly with the Government over NICE regulations now which say that he can't have the drug which is the only one which will save his life.  Keep me posted.

[waghorn]

Are you listening to Jeremy Vine with Ms Hewittt on Radio 2. I can't get through.

[Sally]

Hope you see this before tomorrow morning Joyce.  Tony Blair is being interviewed by John Humphrys on Radio 4 at 8.10 am tomorrow morning.  I think the main topic is going to be the NHS.  Could be interesting!