I was recently admitted as an emergency to Ninewells Hospital. I was welcomed into the admission ward where I was shocked to find it was a mixed ward. I came to accept this as they were receiving and discharging all the time and the nurses were respectful of my feelings of discomfort with the mixture. The nursing care and indeed the care from the doctors and consultants were excellent.
I had to go to theatre for an operation and was moved to ward 8. I was ready to go to theatre in my gown and stockings. When I was moved through I was put into a bay of 5 men and myself. I was so upset, it was meal time and everyone was tucking into their tea. A nurse then came and told me to go to the toilet before theatre, I was mortified and had to come out of my curtains with all there men staring and in my gown tied at the back, and then had to ask where the toilets were. I know in this environment the nurses get used to mixed wards but I am not and was very near to tears.
My journey to and from theatre were uneventful and I was glad to get my operation over.
On wakening in the middle of the night after my op and not knowing where I was I was desperate for the toilet, I pressed my buzzer which I found out later was not working, luckily a nurse was passing, she helped me to the toilet but stopped to give me a row for shuffling my feet! I have a bladder condition and thought I was going to wet myself again a very upsetting experience.
The next time I needed my buzzer was when I woke through the night and my heart was racing like a train, luckily a nurse heard my cries for help, this was deeply distressing for me, I thought I may have been having a heart attack.
The nurses couldn’t be faulted on this occasion.
Other occasions the nurses were short and rough with patients and although I am always a champion of NHS, in my opinion some of these employees would be better elsewhere.
When I reported my buzzer not working the response from a nurse was it’s not been working for 2 months.
"I am not used to mixed wards and was very near to tears"
About: Ninewells Hospital / General Surgery Ninewells Hospital General Surgery DD1 9SY Trauma & orthopaedics / Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery Trauma & orthopaedics Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery DD1 9SY
Posted by woodpeckernb63 (as ),
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