Dealing with the public

[Shadow]

Im getting more than a little upset with Mr Shads coming home from work and telling me about the amount of verbal abuse he is getting from some patients and their famillies at his place of work.I know from my own experiences how difficult is can be being worried about a sick relative or indeed of being around some-one with a serious or life threatening injury but the way in which staff are spoken to at times is just repulsive and some of it is just so gratuitous..On top of that there seem to be some who have absolutely no regard for any one else around them-including patients with far more severe conditions than they themselves have-I honestly dont think I would last five minutes in that job

[Deleted]

This seems to be an on going trend in England for many year. Your do hear of horror stories how patient are treated. I'm sure this does happen, not to the extent we hear about. The NHS like everything else isn't perfect, but most employees strive to be.

Personally I've no complaints to the treat of me, or any of my family/loved ones. I have seen patients (but more often their relatives) believe they are the only ones in the hospital. Usually they are the ones that aren't the most seriously ill.

As far back as 15 years ago my local hospital in Lancashire was sending A&E staff for self defense lessons! What is the world coming to?

Mr Shadow does a valuable and difficult job, I only hope he and others doing the same don't get so demoralised they find alternative employment.

[Shadow]

Its interesting you should raise the point Milkhope because Mr Shads has just completed his course on Control and restraint last week

I do understand people frustrated by things regarding their treatment but thats a different matter to some-one being told to shut the f-ing door by a patient or having to be called an f-ing muppet for simply trying to assist some-one

[Jazz]

Like Milky I have nothing but praise for NHS staff from what experience I've had of them. Not much for myself but over the years with both my parents. Too much is taken for granted by a lot of people......there's an element of I've paid my taxes so nurses etc have to jump through hoops to accomodate them. They want instant attention, instant results forgetting that there are neccessary procedures to be followed.

[Shadow]

Mr shads has just arrived home-to say he is wound up is an understatement-oh and as one particular young man put it-he doesnt give a toss about the other patients-he wanted a nurse to turn his light off-the switch was situated next to him-but he needed the F-ing light off now.

[Blue Star Broon]

Apr 7, 2012 10:45:01 GMT 1 Shadow said:

Im getting more than a little upset with Mr Shads coming home from work and telling me about the amount of verbal abuse he is getting from some patients and their famillies at his place of work.I know from my own experiences how difficult is can be being worried about a sick relative or indeed of being around some-one with a serious or life threatening injury but the way in which staff are spoken to at times is just repulsive and some of it is just so gratuitous..On top of that there seem to be some who have absolutely no regard for any one else around them-including patients with far more severe conditions than they themselves have-I honestly dont think I would last five minutes in that job

I’ve been reading this thread with great interest. Even though our healthcare systems are totally different I’ve seen the same thing over here. There is a huge national debate about healthcare here and I won’t get into that but personally I’d rather my tax dollars go toward improving the healthcare system rather than building implements of destruction and waging war abroad. Having worked in hospitals and outpatient clinics for over 35 years I have seen a steady decline of respect for care providers and what most troubling is the worst stick usually comes from a patient or family members that are on welfare. What that means is deductions from my paycheck are going towards the services I am providing for the dissatisfied patient who pays nothing. They are indignant, demanding and usually have poor personal hygiene. Many of these patients are second and third welfare generation, born into the system, never getting a job, rather collecting a check and getting free healthcare. They have been taught or told they are entitled to free services because they are poor. I am a firm believer these people should be “drug tested” and denied free services if they test positive. I am straying from the crux of this with my rant, sorry. It has been my experience and hopefully for Mr. Shads that if you do this type of work long enough there will be times when you can make a difference in someone else’s life. Even a simple god bless you from a total stranger can make up for lousy shift. And there may be times when you are part of a team that helps with someone’s pain and suffering or better yet help save someone’s life. It’s been those times that last in my memory and sustained me to blot out the insulting remarks from someone just looking to take out their frustration on me.

[Deleted]

Any job which involves dealing with the public in some shape or form has the prospect of either receiving unwarrented verbal abuse or worse still physical confrontation or attack.

Probably says a whole lot more about those on the delivery end than those on the receiving end.

If you are expecting a whole lot of praise from doing that kind of work, you pobably wouldn't be doing it in the first place.

CWL

[Shadow]

To be honest CWL I dont think anyone enters this sort of profession expecting praise-I certainly didnt-I did it because I wanted to work with people-did the office stint but hated it and I found support work a refreshing change where the things you took away wasnt the pat on the head by a manager but the personal satisfaction of knowing I may have helped some-one in some tiny measure.I was talking to Mr Shads today about this-we have both worked in extremely challenging environments where there was both violence and foul language but that wasnt an issue because we were aware that the people we were working with had major issues-be it mental health or severe learning difficulties and we understood the frustration that our clients experienced.


And even in the hospital environment I know myself how frustrating it can be waiting for news,disagreeing with treatments,watching a relative in pain etc-its horrendous sometimes and yes Ive been short with staff at times but that doesnt come close to what Im talking about.

Broonaleman boy did your post hit the spot-I know from my own experiences and from what Mr Shads says that the things that get staff through are the tiny things altho really they arent that tiny-calming a deeply disturbed lady with severe brain damage for half an hour and giving her respite from her screaming,re-assuring a yoing man with half a head there is hope-you cant put a price on that-I know what the RVI nurses did for us and to this day I regard them as the major people who supported us

Then you get those who seem to want to make staffs life a living hell and are awkward for the sake of being awkward-I had to have staff stop me intervening after listening to a nurse being called everything under the sun for trying to dress a tiny wound of a young woman -whilst kids with huge burns were attempting to get some much needed sleep.Ive sat in parents rooms listening to parents of kids moaning and swearing cos they they had to stay with their kids and plenty of parents didnt bother staying either-leaving babies in buggies to be comforted by staff because it was too much bother.

Mr Shads is working in a hospital now because the NHS has or is in the process of selling off its learning difficulties houses to private firms-and staff are being redeployed.Ive noticed a huge change in the public perception of NHS workers anyway-once it was a profession that was respected but now its derided-and yet I see him come home after working so many hours on so little pay for what he does and you know what-he still talks about those little moments spent with a patient or their family-but he also talks about the vile abuse he gets every single shift

[Banshee]

I also get some abuse at work, mainly due to misunderstanding, stress etc or downright idiots with no regard for anyone but themselves. However I also see the lack of any real understanding or caring amongst the medical proffession. I see them making instant judgements about people with addictions, without knowing anything about their life or circumstances and having no sympathy for them.
I see older people written off and disregarded if they are a bit confused. Where with a bit of time and effort and listening to them, they could retain their independence , rather than telling them they need to go into a care home.
I see old people made to wear continence pads, regardless of having any continence problems, and when they ask for help to get to the toilet, they are told to just "do it in your pad".
One man of 80yrs old kept asking nurses to contact his dad to let him know he was in hospital. They assumed he was confused and ignored him. Then after being in hospital for 2 weeks, his 99yr old dad came on the ward frantic after trying to find him, and also being assumed to be confused and imagining his son was missing. Nurses tried to get him off the ward and checked if he was missing from the psychiatric ward. They could have just listened rather than make assumptions. But they were too busy eating the chocolates given to them from the unknowing grateful relatives, to get off their arses and actually listen to people or help them, or give them some f*****g dignity.

[Jazz]

I think the N.H.S. mirrors life in general except that the problems arising are probably magnified due to the nature of the job.....people in pain, people wanting answers, people having "off" days, people asking questions of other people who might not have the answers that they want or need. A difficult job, but sometimes satisfying, if not all the time.

[Banshee]

Apr 14, 2012 20:55:18 GMT 1 Jazz said:

I think the N.H.S. mirrors life in general except that the problems arising are probably magnified due to the nature of the job.....people in pain, people wanting answers, people having "off" days, people asking questions of other people who might not have the answers that they want or need. A difficult job, but sometimes satisfying, if not all the time.

You have hit the nail on the head Jazz. I love my job, and find it very satisfying most of the time, if I discount the bad times. But then I have to accept that is part of the job.