How Safe is Your Hospital

[Kaiser chef]

The BBC is not much more than a Tory propaganda tool. Keep listening and believing the rubbish this particular breed of lapdog feeds you and you'll end up with a Health Service similar to Englands.

[shetlandpeat]

Some hardy snail there. cooked in a tin, no air, heated again and still lives.

[MJ]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2267090/Snail-young-mums-dinner-Aberdeen-Maternity-Unit.html

'At first I didn't even notice it,' she said. 'But then I started eating and after one or two mouthfuls I saw it.

'I stopped and said "that looks like a snail." I looked closer and I started repeating "oh my god, what is that?" and then Gavin my fiance said "It's definitely a snail."

'It was still alive and I just felt totally sick.'

Mr Carey's letter said he was concerned to hear about the 'upsetting experience' and an investigation revealed the snail had found its way onto the plate via a packet of frozen peas.

He added: 'These peas have been returned to the supplier for them to conduct their own investigations and respond to NHS Grampian.

[MJ]

frozen, not tinned, but agree, the snail did well to survive the blanching then fast freezing then boiling. Nothing would surprise me at the Mattie regarding when it got in the dish.

[Guest Lone Wolf]

As has been said, that's one heck of a tough snail. I bet it came complete with a cape emblazoned with a large 'S'

[BigMouth]

The snail was from the SVS - Special Vegetable Service

 

Snail training is undertaken under the guidance of the SAS (Special Air Service) and SBS (Special Boat Service) instructors.

 

To pass Selection snails must be able to lay undetected in bags of frozen vegetables for many weeks and then spring rapidly into action when needed. This is much easier when in a bag of cauliflower or broccoli florets. Only battle seasoned veterans are used on frozen pea missions.

 

If you find a black snail it will be from the CRWT (Couter-Revolutionary Warfare Team) and will likely be wearing a respirator.

 

If the snail is wearing snortkel and flippers it will be from Boat Troop from any of the Sabre Squadrons. Wearing skis and goggles it will be from Mountain Troop, wearing a parachute it will be from Air Troop, and driving a Land Rover it will be from Mobility Troop.

 

Put away any conceptions that you may have of snails, these highly trained SVS snails are trained killers and can move faster than a Ninja with his slippers on fire. They are armed to the teeth with specialised weaponry and are often parachuted in behind enemy lines in Tesco to take out would be undesirables from as far afield as Papa Stour. I can only imagine that this snail was found on an ARI patients plate due to a map reading error. Well, that's normally the excuse for popping over the border.

[bresail]

I personally believe that our hospital,( GBH ) is at the moment a disaster waiting to happen.

Not only is the primary and secondary care unable to or will not liaise with each other. Both sides blame each other but nothing is done to sort things out.

Someone above mentioned gagging orders, gagging orders are only needed to stop people telling the the truth and disclosing failures of systems.

Do these gagging orders also cover deaths? I personally know of missing files, alteration of files, letters going missing and worse, blood samples being lost.

I have also been on a ward where 3 alarms have been buzzing from people on drips and no one appeared.

A person in the next bed to me had one of his drips/ oxygen strangled by a careless movement of a chair by one of the staff. He had one drip in his foot and something else connected to his other side, he couldn't reach his alarm because it was too far away. So I pressed mine, no-one answered so I went to the ward reception.

I was told off for ringing my alarm. twenty minutes later someone appeared.

I will if wished tell of more problems noted in my long stay in the GBH.

I will not blame the majority of nursing staff for these problems, it is the higher ups in the heirarchy who are unable to do their jobs properly and do not keep in touch with the updates to procedures.

Regards,

Bresail

[Guest Lone Wolf]

I am not going to get into the libel of individuals, as that should not appear on public forums.

Mismanagement is a result of an individual being given more responsibility than they are able to cope with, either due to ability or being overworked. However, what is being suggested is fraudulent and as such, criminal behaviour.

 

That said, there are as many senior members of staff, particularly within the nursing profession, in NHS Shetland as there are in far larger NHS establishments across the country; so they should be no excuse for poor strategic delivery of services, nor poor adherence to legislative procedures.

[Guest Lone Wolf]

Yes, I agree Vitalite, complain and complain vehemently, but not on a public forum. If criminal activity has taken place then surely the law courts is the place for that to be heard. To call them corrupt is, as I said earlier, libelous. so please be careful, not for their sake, but for yours.

 

As for "count myself lucky" - you have no idea how far wrong that is. But a public forum is not somewhere I would air a grievance towards some of NHS Shetlands hierarchy

[Guest Lone Wolf]

Then I truly and honestly wish you the very best of luck.

 

It is something I have done in the past with the NHS (not NHS Shetland or even NHS Scotland I must add) and I would not have the strength of character to do it again. I haven't been the same person since.

[bresail]

Lone wolf,

I thought long and hard before I brought up this subject,

I agree that no one should be named, by bringing up the incidents that have happened to me, I am virtually naming myself anyhow. Not only that I have used my real name in other posts.

We really need to discuss it publicly because I know that we are not the only ones that have had and have problems. From your post lone wolf, I can guess that you have had problems and I know that it is also frightening to bring up this subject. Individual complainants are bullied, classed as trouble causers etc.

I'm waiting for the horses head in the bed?

I did post on another forum recently reference incorrect procedure when doing an INR test and I will give them, the NHS, their due, they acted on it.

 

What a stupid time to give up smoking after 52 years.

Regards,

Bresail or Rex for short.

[Guest Lone Wolf]

Bresail, a lot of what you have written is true of many NHS bodies; in fact in the NHS England where primary and secondary care are separate, the lack of communication is even worse. If you decide to follow a similar path to Vitalite (ie legal route), discussing your case online is probably not wise, as much as you'd like to 'get it off your chest', so to speak.

 

I personally got a solicitor involved and she didn't just help me get through the trauma, without her I simply wouldn't have done. Cost a heck of lot of money though! But without her, it would have probably cost what little is left of my sanity.

 

Unfortunately, like most corporate bodies, the NHS will fight its course and they will stick together. They buddy up to protect each others inadequacies and scratch each others backs. Sometimes outside and independent assistance is vital.

My experiences have also taught me that some of those in the caring professions or working for the 'supposed' caring and health industries, are some of the nastiest individuals I have ever met. And I know of literally hundreds of people that would concur with this belief. That said, a lot of them are wonderful.

 

Whatever, you do or decide, take care and play the 'game' wisely.......and don't start smoking again!

[bresail]

I am sorry but I do not understand what Vitalite's last post is about. I am not dismissing his views but I'm still hoping to be able to discuss the problems that I have outlined above. I trust and respect Lone wolfviews.

I'm not even, just wanting people who agree with me opening this can of worms, to post.

So, I will just carry on outlining problems that I have noticed personally.

If any one can add to this and help bring things out in the open. now is your chance.

So come on Vitalite join in.

Regards,

Rex.

[Guest Lone Wolf]

I do not understand Vitalites post either Bresail. It sounds like a very angry person that have been told and realises they are wrong and is therefore aggressively attacking anyone and everyone simply because no one listens.

 

I have expressed my feelings for those that feel hurt or have been wronged and given advice based on my experiences. Using a solicitor removed the emotion from the discussions I had with the corporate body and therefore enabled sensible and meaningful negotiations. You do not have to follow it or even read it. I certainly did not deserve Vitalites aggression, but if that's what the message they want to put out then so be it. If you do not want my written support then please ignore it, as it is withdrawn anyway. This aggression has only led me to believe it is the NHS that has been wronged by this ungrateful individual.

 

I do feel with that attitude there is little chance anyone will listen to them and a post Vitalite made and then deleted yesterday indicated that "they (the NHS) can get the police if they want" because they held the legal high-ground. It makes you wonder what actions this angry and aggressive person has already taken in order to force people to understand their point of view.

 

Hopefully everything will work out in your favour Rex, but as you can imagine I have no wish to contribute any further to this topic

[paulb]

im a bit puzzled by how this thread has headed.

 

if a person has a complaint they should speak to the nurse in charge first.

if they can't resolve it then a formal written complaint.

if that still does not resolve matters then the independent complaints procedures should be followed.

 

the wife is a nurse in nhs shetland so im clearly not unbiased.

 

however to win a legal case you will need to have suffered a significant loss. if you suffered a side effect or an op goes wrong but there was no negligence you get nothing.

 

an example when our first daughter was born she suffered an acute infection and died shortly afterwards.

 

our natural reaction was to want to blame someone. and we believed that the junior doctor had messed up. however he had not been negligent he had just missed diagnosed her condition. the rest of the staff were wonderful especially they midwifes.

 

so before you start legal action please get you emotion in order decide what you really want to happen.

 

i can assure you that the nurses and doctors are there to try and help you. they are human and can have bad days and they also can make mistakes.

 

even the managers are there to try to provide a decent service to the users of the service. sadly a lot of management dont have any real contact with the wards and patients.

 

but if youre in hospital and your not happy please tell them. dont wait complain, but just remember you wont be the only patient that they are dealing with.

 

again im sorry your not happy with the service that the hospital has provided to you