Dealing with the health service when long-term illness strikes
Illness can strike at all levels. A mild ailment usually requires a GP visit who will advise further treatment and possibly a prescription. Living with a long-term but manageable illness such as diabetes, will usually require regular check-ups either at the GP's surgery and the nearest hospital outpatient clinic.
A severe illness which requires long-term hospital admission is probably the most trying experience for the sufferer and their immediate family and friends.
Dealing with doctors and nurses within the health service can be besieged with problems, but they have enormously difficult jobs- they deal with many patients and work long shifts and antisocial hours on often understaffed over managed wards.
Nurses work on shifts and are reliant on the previous understaffed nurse for a handover of new patients. Then there are the endless drug rounds and paper work that besieges a modern day nurse. All patients have a named nurse and doctor displayed above their beds. Always talk to these people with regard to your poorly friend or relative. All knowledge is power, so research thoroughly on illnesses and treatments, including medications, diet and the benefits of exercise or therapies.
Contact local groups, gem up on internet research, you can always use your local library free of charge to do this. Sometimes, a doctor will see the illness and not the patient. On a hospital ward all patients have a named doctor and nurse, who are responsible for all care and treatment of the patient throughout their stay. Always discuss concerns with them and make a note of time, date etc. They have a duty to write any concerns down and pass them on to relevant professionals. If you do the same and make it clear that you are on the ball, so to speak, the staff will be extra vigilant, I promise!
Many relatives visiting can help patients settle in to wards by adhering to visiting hours. The wards have to be cleaned, doctors have to visit patients, and other health care professionals such as physiotherapists need to do their job and importantly, patients’ meal times should always be protected. Visitors provide an invaluable service if they bring in toiletries, plenty of clothes, foodstuffs the patient likes and is able to eat, the right dentures, spectacles or walking aids. This limits the chance of patient neglect.
Other useful things for visitors are to ensure the patient has is loose change for daily newspapers, a TV phone card, magazines or books. If you are able, take away dirty laundry and unwanted clutter or arrange with the staff nurse for the hospital to do the patients laundry. Ensure clothes are labelled to minimise the risk of lost clothes!
The NHS is the biggest employer in Europe so it is no surprise that dealing with such a large organisation can be bewildering. If you need to know anything then a good place to start is the PALS (Patient Advice and Liasion Service.)
PALS is an organisation within the NHS and offers a wide range of services to those needing any sort of help regarding patient care, and will liaise on your behalf with medical or other NHS staff or outside agencies.
One example of how impacting a long-term hospital stay is of my sister who recently gave birth to premature twins. The little girl needed to stay in a special needs baby care unit and the little boy in a premature baby ward at a hospital 15 miles apart. For the parents this involved time off work, extensive travel costs and practically a second mortgage to pay for the hospital parking. How can people who live on a low income get help when such costs incur?
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/
For any other information and advice the NHS has its own website, www.nhs.uk which provides useful contacts such as dealing with bereavement sometimes the end result of a long term hospital stay and all aspects of patient care, including mental illness, carer support and how to get further support from outside agencies, such as social services.
Illness can strike at all levels. A mild ailment usually requires a GP visit who will advise further treatment and possibly a prescription. Living with a long-term but manageable illness such as diabetes, will usually require regular check-ups either at the GP's surgery and the nearest hospital outpatient clinic.
A severe illness which requires long-term hospital admission is probably the most trying experience for the sufferer and their immediate family and friends.
Dealing with doctors and nurses within the health service can be besieged with problems, but they have enormously difficult jobs- they deal with many patients and work long shifts and antisocial hours on often understaffed over managed wards.
Nurses work on shifts and are reliant on the previous understaffed nurse for a handover of new patients. Then there are the endless drug rounds and paper work that besieges a modern day nurse. All patients have a named nurse and doctor displayed above their beds. Always talk to these people with regard to your poorly friend or relative. All knowledge is power, so research thoroughly on illnesses and treatments, including medications, diet and the benefits of exercise or therapies.
Contact local groups, gem up on internet research, you can always use your local library free of charge to do this. Sometimes, a doctor will see the illness and not the patient. On a hospital ward all patients have a named doctor and nurse, who are responsible for all care and treatment of the patient throughout their stay. Always discuss concerns with them and make a note of time, date etc. They have a duty to write any concerns down and pass them on to relevant professionals. If you do the same and make it clear that you are on the ball, so to speak, the staff will be extra vigilant, I promise!
Many relatives visiting can help patients settle in to wards by adhering to visiting hours. The wards have to be cleaned, doctors have to visit patients, and other health care professionals such as physiotherapists need to do their job and importantly, patients’ meal times should always be protected. Visitors provide an invaluable service if they bring in toiletries, plenty of clothes, foodstuffs the patient likes and is able to eat, the right dentures, spectacles or walking aids. This limits the chance of patient neglect.
Other useful things for visitors are to ensure the patient has is loose change for daily newspapers, a TV phone card, magazines or books. If you are able, take away dirty laundry and unwanted clutter or arrange with the staff nurse for the hospital to do the patients laundry. Ensure clothes are labelled to minimise the risk of lost clothes!
The NHS is the biggest employer in Europe so it is no surprise that dealing with such a large organisation can be bewildering. If you need to know anything then a good place to start is the PALS (Patient Advice and Liasion Service.)
PALS is an organisation within the NHS and offers a wide range of services to those needing any sort of help regarding patient care, and will liaise on your behalf with medical or other NHS staff or outside agencies.
One example of how impacting a long-term hospital stay is of my sister who recently gave birth to premature twins. The little girl needed to stay in a special needs baby care unit and the little boy in a premature baby ward at a hospital 15 miles apart. For the parents this involved time off work, extensive travel costs and practically a second mortgage to pay for the hospital parking. How can people who live on a low income get help when such costs incur?
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/
For any other information and advice the NHS has its own website, www.nhs.uk which provides useful contacts such as dealing with bereavement sometimes the end result of a long term hospital stay and all aspects of patient care, including mental illness, carer support and how to get further support from outside agencies, such as social services.
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