Are hospital standards falling?

[georgit79]

I just wondered if anyone had any recent first hand experience of being admitted to or visiting a hospital? Reports state that standards have fallen for the first time in 4 years (which surprises me as I thought the NHS had been on the decline for ages). How can this be tackled? Surely hospitals should be the cleanest places around? How hard is it to keep a hospital clean?

I know cleanliness isn't the only issue, but it's an important one. Your views please? On cleanliness, standard of care etc.

Thanks

[andy hughes]

My wife was in hospital recently, and the 'bathroom' was used as a storage area, and the bath would have needed nuclear blasting to be clean enough to use.

I was last in five years ago, and had my tonsils and part of my soft palet removed. I advised the nurses that I have to take medication around ten p.m. every night, and would they wake me, as I would still be out from the surgery that morning. I awoke at 1. a.m. and had to stagger to the nurses' station and ask for my medication, and the bright spark there asked me if i needed a glass of water to take it with! I was too ill / in pain / wired to care, so I had my pill and staggered back tgo bed. Care? Hah!

[lozzzz]

my husband is in and out of hospital on a regular basis,most of the time I cant find fault with the north hants hospital..On entering the hospital you pass a "sterile station" where spirigel is supplied to clean hands on the way in and out.I,ve often watched people ignore it and walk past,how can people complain about cleanliness if they deliberately chose not to do as they are asked.(even some staff)

He also contracted MRSA after abdominal surgery,he was already a carrier and brought it in with him on his skin.Makes you wonder what heebie jeebies other visitors bring in to the hospital after they have touched thier car,the money for the parking meter,the lift button etc then go to the ward and touch their loved ones,without washing their hands since they left their house.

[acw]

I think it all comes down to personal hygene.  There will always be scarily bad examples like that offered by Andy Hughes, and shiningly positive examples that others can offer.  However, with nurses instructed on how to wash their hands properly and given alcohol sterlie spray things to attach to their uniforms, it seems to come down to them using them properly. 

It does also seem that getting visitors to be a bit more hygenic would certainly help!!!

[milly143]

I have been in and out of Stoke Mandeville hospital quite a bit over the past two years and the only complaint i could make is that one of the wards, the toilet was too far away (I was struggling to walk at the time). My last visit was acceptional. I was there for 1 week and had absolutely no complaints. There would be a general cleaner every day going round the wards and then once a week they would kick all the patients in to the day room so that they could pull all the beds and equipment out and have a thorough clean. All the nurses had little bottles of handwash attached to their belts the standard of care was great. As someone who has visited hospital regularly in recent times, I find it really hard to believe the horror stories you hear although I am sure they are not without substance.

[kick3m0n]

I was last in hospital for 4 days after giving birth in 2003.  The maternity ward where I was was great, and I had absolutely no complaints about hygene (tho in saying that, it was a newly built hospital at that time).  Ditto all the staff (including cleaners, etc) who were all fabulous...supportive, helpful, friendly, efficient and caring.   Well done Edinburgh Royal Infirmary!

[OBonio]

Was in hospital with my wife at the weekend. Very clean (propanol gel outside every ward) and lots of cleaners. As with kick3mon, this is a new hospital too though.

If these reports are related to the recent 'star ratings', I would suggest you ignore them. They really are measuring the wrong things (like meeting budget).

As for cleanliness in general, a lot of comes down to outsourcing the cleaning to 3rd parties. They employ people on as low a wage as possible to maximise their margins. Enough said....

[ianess]

That's it exactly........ever since certain services were "privatised" everything is done to a minimum standard for a minimum price.
Bring back the old-style matron who oversaw every seemingly minor detail and maintained a scrupulously high standard in every aspect of hospital work.