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Why the NHS can't cure it's ward problems

4th Dec 2012
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Radio 4 spent time on the problems with NHS nurses and care on the wards.For each horror story there are stories of kindness,compassion and dedication.BUT there should be NO horror stories at all.If I had to point the finger at a single factor it is this:-
Hospital managers don't start on the shop floor ie the ward , and work their way up.How many have emptied bedpans, taken blood, comforted confused elderly patients,mopped the floor etc.....
Of course there are other factors such as nursing having veered from its origins as a vocation , but get the right people with the right experience issuing the right diktats and the rest follows

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By A mum and an accountant
05th Dec 2012 10:18

My experience
I'm not quite sure what the radio 4 debate on the NHS is or what this has to do with accounting but after my recent stay in the NHS hospital, I found the nurses and midwives to be really helpful and kind and understanding and they know what they are doing but they were so under staffed and swamped with paperwork. After the delivery, I was waiting 4 hours to be transferred to the next (delivery) ward because they didn't have enough beds. But then once the doctor had come round to check I was ok to go, I then had to wait almost 5 hours to be discharged because of paperwork, whereas I could have freed a bed by now. All through this, the staff and nurse were lovely and apologetic but definitely understaffed.

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Replying to yorky1000:
Norman Younger
By Norman Younger
05th Dec 2012 14:14

NHS and accounting

The link is simple. Managers are supposed to ensure that the hospital runs efficiently and to budget without bankrupting the trust . Really effective management that can understand how the service needs to be delivered and how the costs tie in with at delivery is what is required. It's no good saving squillions if granny is left to fester on a squalid ward.

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By ShirleyM
05th Dec 2012 11:58

I've seen some appalling wards

The wards for elderly patients seem to be the worst. I have seen several of these wards where the nurses just didn't care and when help was requested they made every little task seem like some big major sacrifice.

Why they are given a job, and then allowed to be so bad at it, beats me. There must be some decent nurses out there looking for jobs.

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By lisler
05th Dec 2012 22:29

I don't see how the qualities of being a good nurse translate into being an effective manager.

Perhaps you would care to explain.

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Norman Younger
By Norman Younger
06th Dec 2012 09:11

Nurses and managers

I am not saying that a nurse will make a good manager. Some will and some will not. The point I make is that to achieve the best management the managers need to spend time at the sharp end. Obviously they cannot administer certain elements of the care but they can shadow closely and get their hands dirty in cleanign and fetching supplies. It is the same principle of getting the white collars to be with the blue collars in a widget factory.

I speak from experience.

 

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