Reading all your posts. makes me ashamed to be a nurse...
I would NEVER dream of giving anything but 100% care as I would expect that to be given if it were the other way round and I was the one ill in bed.
I work on an neonatal ICU and we have just moved into a brand new state of the art hospital. From the outside... fantastic, biggest childrens hospital in Europe... in the inside it is chaos...
Lots of managers making stupid and unecessary changes and overworked nurses and doctors at breaking point. I am not saying that shoddy care is acceptable, because it isn't but I for one feel that I am not getting supported in my role to do my job properly. So much so, I have applied for two new jobs this week, still in the NHS but not in nursing... I know I will lose my paediatric, intensive care and surgical skills, but I would rather lose them than my sanity and if I carry on going, that is what will happen. Not just to me but to my colleagues as well.....
My thoughts are with all of you who have experienced bad medical care... it should never have happened...

Gabrielle

> Lots of managers making stupid and unecessary changes

Exactly .

I went for an interview today and was asked, ' if you were a fruit , what would you be and why ? '
I am disgusted that our NHS has come to this .  I have worked for the NHS for 21 years in many roles , i expect to be asked a proper question about my work and experience . 

Gabrielle - you have nothing to be ashamed about. I am quite sure you are a wonderful and caring nurse. You are the sort of person we need in the NHS and it's typical that bad management will be the cause of you leaving. I'll be quite honest, the one major problem I felt with the hospital Dad was in, and truely, I mean no offence to anybody at all - apart from the one amazing nurse who helped him and us over the last two days, took it in her own hands to start Dad's morphine to ease his pain (no Doc's were available that Sunday afternoon and with another nurse by her side of course), the same nurse who rang me during the night to tell me he was sleepling and peaceful, who arrived there again in the morning to wash and shave Dad as he slept in the hope he'd be with us just a few more hours, maybe even to come home for his final day, the same nurse who met us as we came through the door just 10 minutes after he'd died (it happened as Mum & I entered the hospital and got to his ward), the way she told us he'd gone, holding Mum's hand as she did so. She was the only English speaking nurse on the ward. She was obviously very experienced with looking after the old and terminally ill elderly,  and she just knew what to say and do. I'm sure the other staff were fully qualified and able to do their jobs, but they had no empathy whatsoever. They seemed to come in, do their alloted jobs and go. This fantastic lady got to know Dad, she respected him and she cared about what happened to him.

It appears that it's not just the people here who have had bad experiences http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8223710.stm

I too would like to add it's not all nurses, my step dads treatment from two of the nurses was brilliant and as I said when they were on duty we did not have to worry about what was happening.  It did seem to be the agency nurses we had problems with.

Gabrielle,
Specialist nurses like yourself are worth there wieght in gold. There should be no management, that have not worked the hospital floor, so to speak. With knowledge of how things work and the terrible pressure put on, over worked staff.
The pen pushers are the ones helping bring the NHS to its knees.
More of us should complain. But! the blame would be put back on the nurses. Why do they waste so much money on unqualified agency nurses that don't care a ****? I have just heard the news saying older people are not getting the care in the NHS. Soon it will only be them in the private sector who do.
I do feel for you, it is such a loss if you leave.

Denese

I have often contemplating going back to work but due to family reasons and travel it's not really practical however nursing has changed so much since I last worked that I honestly don't know if I could do it. I went into to nursing 'cause it was all I ever wanted to do, I wanted to care for people.  I wonder how many other nurses feel the same way. :-(

How are you feeling now? I know this post is going on but I do feel for you as I have been there with Mum.
I too had both my children in hospital and the service was second to none. But at home wit Mum I was beyond horrified I was disgusted and appalled. What is so sad is the memories you have left of the ending of your Dad's life. For that I am really really sorry and I hope that you do find some peace.
Im thinking of you.

Viv
X

I'm not too bad, I'm throwing myself into work. I do have odd moments when I see images of the bed sores that covered him from back of knees to small of back and I feel angry then or watching my mum try to syringe 5 mil of water into him.

Ironically in the last day or so the news has been of the poor care of our elderly patients. I don't suppose things will change though.

Yes Mum died 17/1/2005 and I hoped the press and tv bits would help. here we are 4 years on with the same problems. Bring back Matron, make local doctors responsible for weekend cover, get rid of "targets" and give us back our NHS service. not everything is better now in fact its worse.
we got given a diazapan as a pain killer when we could not get any water into Mum we were down to soaking cotton wool in water and squeezing that in.

Im glad the grandchildren did not see it, its was bad enough Kev & I.

Have a good weekend.