nhs

[Lonnie]

Patricia Hewitt has said, The NHS just has enjoyed its best year ever, does anybody really believe this?.

[sanlou26]

Hi,

I work as a nurse and I certainly don't think it is the NHS best ever year. I have been on the recieving end of both sides of the NHS. I am currently a patient ( as some of you will know, I have a brain tumour) and am currently recieving treatment. This treatment has been patchy, but on the whole excellent. I certainly can't express my thanks to the specialists and support staff who have and continue to look after me. It did however take a year from the time I had my first seizure until I had an MRI scan. So I don't think waiting times have improved. Except where I was in A and E, had my first ever seizure at 30, unconsious and confused and disorientated on waking up and bl**dy scared. After an hour or so I was sent home and told eveyone was entitled to one seizure. I think I had an ecg to test my heart and that was it.

Government and managers of the hospital I work for, say that nurses do not want things to change. That is not so. We welcome change but let the change be what is best for the public. Many nurses where I work, work hard to incorperate the mad schemes our managers want us to impliment and often nurses do not feel that we have been listened too. We are currently fighting to stop more wards closing, this will be the second one in four months. A reduction of forty beds, half the number of acute admission beds we had. Nurses feel pressurised and demoralised and can't see how things are going to get better with nursing and front line staff losing their jobs.

[alijangra]

Also from a nurses perspective, I cant wait to get out of the NHS. Its a shambles and I feel patient care is worse than it has been, at least in the last 3 years. The reason is low staff numbers=poor morale and exhausted staff. Nurses and junior doctors are being pushed to the limit and beyond. I cant give the care I want to and it distresses me so much I have to leave my job.

[curiosity]

Well, again from a nurses perspective, I think our service is just getting better and better, we have loads of staff, a great team and happy patients. I get irritated when statements are made generically about the NHS, as it is not a true reflection of individual services, and as you have seen results in "patchy" being the answer. I can say that I think since the NHS plan the systems in place to monitor poor performance has improved tenfold. Harder work in respect of audits etc, but all good news for the patients.