Last week we got another look at the British National Health System. This look was very educational...
My husband had passed a kidney stone right before we moved to the UK. We knew that he had more in his kidneys and that it would be a matter of time before he would need to pass them. Two weeks ago, he woke up and it all started.
Then pain peaked the morning I had to go to Heathrow and get his mother. We did not have a way to get in touch with her, so I drove to get her and my husband went to the A&E (Accident and Emergency) by himself.
I collected my mother in law and we left right away and headed to the A&E to see Sean. He had done fairly well on his own and was actually suppose to leave but as we got there, the pain of the renal colic worsened again and he was taken to a different area of the A&E.
The staff medicated him well and for the most part the care was good. The only thing that they neglected was to give him water to stop him from dehydrated. They wanted to keep him and do a bladder scan on him, but the bladder scanner was ‘missing’. It STAYED missing for HOURS!
They eventually admitted him and took him up to the first floor. The plan was find the missing bladder scanner and perform a scan. The scanner, seriously did not turn up for hours. We really wanted to take him home, if they were only going to do pain management, we had medicine at home and things would be ok. But the staff started making comments like 'refusal of services’. We had never heard these terms and they sort of freaked us out. It turns out it would have been no big deal to leave in hindsight but at the time we did not know. So, that was one reason he decided to stay. Another reason was he had a CAT scan in the morning.
With some help from a good friend, 2 of the boys were dropped home. I picked up the other two later and then headed back to the hospital to take my mother in law and the rest of the kids home. I had a quick dinner and then headed back to see my husband.
In the meantime, the bladder scanner had been found and he had a scan done. Things were ok, but the pain was continuing. He was finally cleared to eat and drink more then clear liquids. There was a really kind staff member who made him a sandwich. They had also made him some broth earlier. Actually the day staff seemed really nice and helpful for them most part as did the A&E staff. We did notice a few strange things, like the man sitting in the corner, all dressed and ready to go but not discharged....
Then, after I came back, the doctor came to see my husband. My husband had told him that he did not want morphine for the pain and then the doctor came back and told us that he had ordered it anyway. I proceeded to share concerns with the doctor about why my husband had turned it down and as we were talking my husband started puking and then decided to take it. This has become a bigger issue after the fact as first the dr ordered it after my husband has said no. Second, morphine has actually been shown to make renal colic worse and we knew from past experience that other pain meds worked and worked well. Plus there are many, many reason one should avoid morphine.
there was a shift change. Just before the shift change my husband was puking. He was in a 22 open bed ward, and one of the other patrons a few beds over put on his call light and asked for a bed pan. The day nurse asked him to wait the 15 minutes for shift change. In a way, I was glad, but I was also horrified. The man got up and went himself (good for him!).
As the staff was changing over, call buttons were beeping all over the floor like crazy. I could hear them and I could hear the staff standing at the desk talking about Facebook. I sat there as it all unfolded around me and I got more and more concerned. They were there, chatting about Facebook for at least 15 minutes.
When Sean is sick, we always seem to get a nasty nurse. This time, unfortunately was not any different. This time is was the night nurse. As she made her rounds and dispensed medicines, I grew more and more concerned. She noticed me and told me that I was going to have to leave, I decided not to talk to her at that point, hoping that I could convince her to let me stay. But as I watched her interact with other patients, I knew that we were going to have a row.
She told one man off because he let her know that the other gentleman had went to the loo. After the gentleman got back from the loo, she then proceeded to tell him off because last night he had not wanted a Tylenol when she was doing rounds, he asked for it an hour later. Not to mention that my husband had been without water again for over an hour. And I want to leave my husband in your care why?
When she finally got to my husband, she told me I had to leave. I then recounted everything that I had seen and told her no way. She then tried to give me long, drawn out excuses on why they would not give the man a bed pan and I told her it didn’t really matter to me. She offered my husband pain relievers and then in another heated discussion, she hinted that she did not have to give him his medicine. I promptly stopped any and all discussion (she was attempting yet again to give me pointless excuses on something that I had complained to her about) and I insisted, repeatedly that she give him his medicine. After more heated discussion in which she threatened to have me escorted out by security, I said that I would leave after his medicine took hold.
I was in tears about leaving my husband that way in such a state of pain. It was one of the hardest things that I have had to do. But I did, mostly because I had a plan. My friend had helped me move cars around and made a trip to the store to grab a few things for my husband (American Gingerale of all things). She mentioned to me a key phrase “private hopsital”. I went home and immediately made phone calls to our private health insurance to figure out what we should do next if he was going to require a longer hospital stay.
Thankfully, my husband was better the next morning. He went to his scan and then waited for the remainder of the day to be discharged. It literally took him all day to go through the process and to finally be discharged.
I have taken my concerns and complaints to the NHS site and now my blog. We definitely learned a lot in the experience and the A&E in Harlow will not be our first choice for care next time.
Was it the worst experience ever? No. If it was the only choice I had for treatment, it would have not been ideal, but it is better then no treatment at all. Next time we have an emergency, we have a plan and we know more about the NHS system.
I collected my mother in law and we left right away and headed to the A&E to see Sean. He had done fairly well on his own and was actually suppose to leave but as we got there, the pain of the renal colic worsened again and he was taken to a different area of the A&E.
The staff medicated him well and for the most part the care was good. The only thing that they neglected was to give him water to stop him from dehydrated. They wanted to keep him and do a bladder scan on him, but the bladder scanner was ‘missing’. It STAYED missing for HOURS!
They eventually admitted him and took him up to the first floor. The plan was find the missing bladder scanner and perform a scan. The scanner, seriously did not turn up for hours. We really wanted to take him home, if they were only going to do pain management, we had medicine at home and things would be ok. But the staff started making comments like 'refusal of services’. We had never heard these terms and they sort of freaked us out. It turns out it would have been no big deal to leave in hindsight but at the time we did not know. So, that was one reason he decided to stay. Another reason was he had a CAT scan in the morning.
With some help from a good friend, 2 of the boys were dropped home. I picked up the other two later and then headed back to the hospital to take my mother in law and the rest of the kids home. I had a quick dinner and then headed back to see my husband.
In the meantime, the bladder scanner had been found and he had a scan done. Things were ok, but the pain was continuing. He was finally cleared to eat and drink more then clear liquids. There was a really kind staff member who made him a sandwich. They had also made him some broth earlier. Actually the day staff seemed really nice and helpful for them most part as did the A&E staff. We did notice a few strange things, like the man sitting in the corner, all dressed and ready to go but not discharged....
Then, after I came back, the doctor came to see my husband. My husband had told him that he did not want morphine for the pain and then the doctor came back and told us that he had ordered it anyway. I proceeded to share concerns with the doctor about why my husband had turned it down and as we were talking my husband started puking and then decided to take it. This has become a bigger issue after the fact as first the dr ordered it after my husband has said no. Second, morphine has actually been shown to make renal colic worse and we knew from past experience that other pain meds worked and worked well. Plus there are many, many reason one should avoid morphine.
there was a shift change. Just before the shift change my husband was puking. He was in a 22 open bed ward, and one of the other patrons a few beds over put on his call light and asked for a bed pan. The day nurse asked him to wait the 15 minutes for shift change. In a way, I was glad, but I was also horrified. The man got up and went himself (good for him!).
As the staff was changing over, call buttons were beeping all over the floor like crazy. I could hear them and I could hear the staff standing at the desk talking about Facebook. I sat there as it all unfolded around me and I got more and more concerned. They were there, chatting about Facebook for at least 15 minutes.
When Sean is sick, we always seem to get a nasty nurse. This time, unfortunately was not any different. This time is was the night nurse. As she made her rounds and dispensed medicines, I grew more and more concerned. She noticed me and told me that I was going to have to leave, I decided not to talk to her at that point, hoping that I could convince her to let me stay. But as I watched her interact with other patients, I knew that we were going to have a row.
She told one man off because he let her know that the other gentleman had went to the loo. After the gentleman got back from the loo, she then proceeded to tell him off because last night he had not wanted a Tylenol when she was doing rounds, he asked for it an hour later. Not to mention that my husband had been without water again for over an hour. And I want to leave my husband in your care why?
When she finally got to my husband, she told me I had to leave. I then recounted everything that I had seen and told her no way. She then tried to give me long, drawn out excuses on why they would not give the man a bed pan and I told her it didn’t really matter to me. She offered my husband pain relievers and then in another heated discussion, she hinted that she did not have to give him his medicine. I promptly stopped any and all discussion (she was attempting yet again to give me pointless excuses on something that I had complained to her about) and I insisted, repeatedly that she give him his medicine. After more heated discussion in which she threatened to have me escorted out by security, I said that I would leave after his medicine took hold.
I was in tears about leaving my husband that way in such a state of pain. It was one of the hardest things that I have had to do. But I did, mostly because I had a plan. My friend had helped me move cars around and made a trip to the store to grab a few things for my husband (American Gingerale of all things). She mentioned to me a key phrase “private hopsital”. I went home and immediately made phone calls to our private health insurance to figure out what we should do next if he was going to require a longer hospital stay.
Thankfully, my husband was better the next morning. He went to his scan and then waited for the remainder of the day to be discharged. It literally took him all day to go through the process and to finally be discharged.
I have taken my concerns and complaints to the NHS site and now my blog. We definitely learned a lot in the experience and the A&E in Harlow will not be our first choice for care next time.
Was it the worst experience ever? No. If it was the only choice I had for treatment, it would have not been ideal, but it is better then no treatment at all. Next time we have an emergency, we have a plan and we know more about the NHS system.
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