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@j_in_france wrote:

A very valid point Lucy

Most inspection services are just a box ticking exercise. When inspections take place a big show is put on to make sure the right boxes are ticked and then things revert back afterwards.

Continuing education, training and support are far more important, especially if we expect people to do jobs they have not initially been trained to do.

and all has to be paid for from ni contributions from the people who work
more workers
more money in the pot
may be we could send the long term unemployed to bring the cleaning up to the scratch in our hospitals
say ten hours a week to qualify for benifits
no cleaning no money
its win win win

@barbie_girl wrote:

I work in the NHS, im a staff nurse in a busy medical ward. Now as someone on the frontline, i have seen both good care and bad care. I’ve also seen how the media slates the NHS and nurses. But have you ever stopped to think about it from the other side?

Staffing and money is the biggest problem within the NHS and that is what affects the care provided. I have noticed a big difference since qualifing in 2003 when i had a pick of jobs, then i saw the numbers of jobs reducing and the number of expected duties increase. All we hear is that we have budget cuts so can’t afford the staff needed.

I work in a ward that has 48 patients divided into 4 areas of 12. Now back when i started a full quota of staff per area was 2 staff nurses and 1 care assistant. Now for the whole 48 patients it is 8 staff nurses, 3 support workers in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Now as we are also expected to put out the meals as well as feed patients and we have to do this within a 30 minute period. So yes, its not an ideal situation and we do the best we can. And yes, if it means that a patient gets their meal while its hot because there isnt 48 staff members we ask family to help out if they are willing.

Now, you all see a nurse on the ward, do you acutally know what her job entails? I have drug rounds to do, patients to wash, bloods to take, physio therapy to provide, doctors rounds to go on, intravenous medication to administer, social work referals to do, OT referals to do. All of this actually takes me away from providing the basic nursing care some people need.

So don’t go blaming the nhs for the problems that the govenment have put there, we can only provide as much as our budget allows. So next time you are on a ward visiting someone, why not actually take a look around at the number of staff they actually have on the ward, its most likely understaffed.

Earlier in this thread I said ‘The massive majority of people on the caring side of the NHS treat what they do as a vocation and not just a job and go that mile further in trying to help others.‘

You and all those like you have my respect

Im in the private sector, money is tight everywhere and money is why i have rejected a mangers job 4 times, i cant look as a person as £ sign. I never discuss politics or religion, but how can this goverment justify spending £ millions on the olympic games an yet not bugger all on health services? CQC ratio is or was 1= 5/6 clients no matter what level of care they require, we care for 28 mainly in the later stages, some are very challenging both physically and mentally, we have 5 staff in a morning and 4 in the afternoon, plus a nurse.But one of the afternoon staff has to cater for the clients tea requirements, so that leaves 3. We know we will not getting anymore staff so we have stopped wasting our energy moaning about it, we just get on with the job.
Education and more funding is the only way in my eyes to improve the way the elderly are cared for. “care for those as you would like to be cared for”