"Infection risk, communication and quality"

Firstly, I’d like to highlight the positive care that I received by healthcare staff and nurses in the orthopaedic ward 62 at the Royal in Glasgow that did work hard. The physio’s were outstanding showing dignity and compassion. 

However, I found the the doctors were mostly rude in this ward with a culture of don’t question me - I found them to be defensive, passive-aggressive and don’t listen well. I felt my one and only ward round was degrading. I was on a bed pan at the time with curtains closed when all the medical staff and consultants came in. I told them I was on a bed pan and they said we will be quick and continued.  I was actually disgusted,  and if I had not been in so much pain and on meds, I would never had allowed this. They showed absolutely no dignity or respect to someone who had never been in this position. I was also too flustered to receive the information on the round. 

Compassion and dignity was shown  as much as possible by the healthcare assistants, It was an extremely busy ward, with complex needs. However, the healthcare staff would mostly focus on everything as task related in what they had to achieve that day, rather than priority and patient needs or safety. This seemed due to ignorance or lack of education, as they certainly were trying their best, they also didn’t seem to understand not to interrupt a drug round. I seen a lovely nurse almost make a mistake due to this. Possibly there is a lack of role understanding.

I observed how stressed all staff were, I didn’t want to bother them. It was difficult for the staff to know who to prioritise with care,  with the very little staffing they did the best they could with the resources that day. 

The nurses were compassionate at times but most complained why they had the job they had daily. The morale seemed very low. I found communication to be very poor, by most. The best communication was by healthcare assistants. I’d be started on a drug and no one would know why or tell me before it was given. 

The senior nurse was a great nurse and another nurse whose name I have forgotten was even better. Great leaders and an inspiration to the staff. 

The bay I was in was a difficult bay, when I was immobile due to 4 spinal fractures, I at times waited up to 1.5 hours bursting for the toilet some in the morning. Handovers seemed too long that I’m sure impacted on this, and the staffing levels. After breakfast with less staff on the floor which seemed the busiest toilet time. 

There is no early drug round, earliest was sometimes 09.30, therefore, pain meds are 9/10pm at night. However, some nurses did start at 0800 on different days. Drugs due 15 minutes before were not allowed to be administered, but could be 3 hours late no problem. This made no sense to me! I was a patient with multiple spinal fractures this was frustrating. 

One nurse stopped my oral morphine as they told me it was no longer prescribed on day 2/3, as I told them I was itchy. Yet pain team said they would increase. I had not had the increased dose yet but I had asked for piriton to be prescribed. The nurse stated that this meant I had a reaction, however, they seemed irritated when I was asking for the oral morphine drug when in pain, and they didn’t have time to administer. This nurse told to me that the doctor stopped my oral morphine, but I received it 5 minutes later when I gave good rationale. Clearly this had not been stopped. 

The infection control is questionable, and my main complaint, the linen didn’t always arrive, towels were an issue each day and we could only have one most days. Sheets were not changed everyday. When they were changed  the stains were of faecal water at times. I actually contacted ring worm in this ward. 

The toilet constantly had faecal fluid on the floor as it was leaking, I think the independent patients were made independent too quickly which added to a lot of poo in the bathroom. I was told that there are not emergency domestics to clean toilets at night or weekends, yet the patient next to me had D&V and was not informing the nurses and using the same toilet as the bay. When I mentioned they may be unwell, a clean was not requested and they were not moved.  The usual domestic who was there during the week cleaning the ward was fantastic. Worked hard! 

I found a HC assistant was inappropriate and unprofessional. I had politely asked them if they would mind cleaning the floor and toilet seat and tap as it was covered in faeces before I used the bathroom. I was on crutches and had only been made independent that day. They refused to clean the floor, I had to walk through it in my socks, use the tap covered in poo, but they did clean the toilet seat after I shamed them into it. They told me that they were then too late to do the breakfast orders for the morning and it wasn’t their job. I didn’t get my breakfast the next morning due to this. Of course the staff sorted me out and I highlighted this later that morning. Also, the toilet stayed covered in faces that whole night. 

The ward sister was a very good leader with a great deal of compassion and an active listener, very good at their job. I did make a verbal complaint about some of these things. 

One member of staff had a terrible attitude, rude and with no compassion there is not enough words to document. Wouldn’t provide me access to a wheel chair to aid discharge.