I came to Scotland on my own two feet. Now,ten years later, I cannot walk far without fear of falling. I dialyze three times a week, leaving my home at 7 am and not getting home much before two. yesterday they took a "survey" on my transportation needs. I use transport in a car as I no longer require an ambulance. My driver goes far and above my expectations, and due to a severe fall last weekend, even made room in his boot in his personal car for my zimmer. Several times in high winds and rain, he has gotten out of the car and made sure i got to the door of my building safely.
Now as an economic measure, I am fearful we may need to find taxis to the hospital. The irony of this is JIm once offered to take me one way in the morning, if they could take me home, but they said they could not bring me home if they did bring me in. SO the NHS has many strange rules that cost them money. He is unable to come from Cumbernauld on his lunch hour to take me home and get back to work in time to teach his afternoon courses. So a lady from Renfrew, Foxbarr and Linwood share a ride and driver, being as cost efficient as we know how to be.
The new policies of the NHS make the nurses slaves to paperwork. We get less attention and it is difficult to see a doctor in the hospital. The blood work turn around is appalling, and many times our driver is asked to wait whilst one of us has a treatment, awaits a prescription, or just has some cock up from the staff. Knowing we all are leaving together, it seems not unreasonable to ask them to coordinate their efforts a bit better on our behalf.
A while ago we sat late in the waiting room because the staff didn't check to see if we were in yet. At that time, the sister said if it got to be 7:45 and they had not come for us, to just go through, and they would be ready as soon as we got weighed and sat down. SO yesterday, having arrived at 7:30 we waited until the appointed time, and having gone down, get ourselves weighed. and cleaned our arms to prepare for the nurse, don't we get a lecture of about how they were having a confidential meeting, and we were wrong to go down there without being summoned. Two patients were already in the area because they set up their own machines.
THEN we were chided for cleaning our arms, (a procedure we follow every time), because they wanted to take a mrsa swab on us. I tell you, the tension of the nurses is being visited on us as well. I am not there on a social call, if i do not dialyze i will die, and they are paid to take care of us. There is some "surprise" inspection coming up and they wipe and rewipe every surface. This week they wasted money handing out pamphlets on how to properly wash our hands. I f they had time for their patients they could take a minute before dialysis and just show us, but the personal touch is pretty well gone. There has been a large turnover in staff and we joked yesterday that if they make you head nurse, you will be gone in six months. It is never that they are lazy, but people who don't understand nursing make them jump through political hoops. It isn't fair and I do not see a solution. I just wanted to say...
It's the same here Brenda. They are now in talks of reducing the time people are allowed to have their special needs assistant with them. Most are only at the minimum allowance of 1hr 5 x week and they want to reduce them to 1hr 3 x weekly. And the money wasted on pamphlets is a joke. They also need to remember that patients aren't there for the fun of it, I'm sure you would rather be any where else than there and to be chastised for doing as you were told instead of apologizing to you for the delay is unacceptable. As for coordinating their efforts! That would make sense woman and we couldn't allow the people who are paid to look after the ill to make sense now would it? lol
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