General Chat

I agree, it is a form of 'slave labour' these days my anger is at the government not the staff, I think their concerns lie with trying to give a false picture of 'how great things are' they put nursing staff under so much mental strain to reach targets that general hygiene gets put to one side, and its just not good enough, There are too many cheifs and not enough Indians, its a sham the whole health service. I had not been into a British hospital for many years, and the changes horrified me.

Pride in the job - is what is missing. Back in the days when a ward had an allocated cleaner it was 'her' ward, if she missed a bit today, she'd probably do it tommorow. these days who ever does it today think ' sod it' leave it for tommorow - but the tommorow person thinks just the same- why should I if she didn't? I dont blame cleaners for things like cups and dirty tissues on the floor - that is the irresponsibility of who ever dropped them there. Cant see that sterile nurses uniforms would actually make a lot of difference - what are you going to do?Strip visitors of their clothes too? Jess

I agree that a lot of the filth in hospitals are caused by the visitors themselves, but I do not expect to be the one to clean someone elses muck. It's the same in any other establishment - they employ capable people to do a job which the NHS do but at a cheap price - unfortunately cheap breeds incompetents and germs. Lin

In the late 80's I was on an inner city Gyne ward (NHS) and the cleaning staff were fighting a losing battle.....The patients had no respect for the 'lowly' employees and the mess they left in the bathrooms made my stomach turn...Apologies to those of a delicate disposition :( I was there for two weeks and then readmitted with an infection a couple of days after discharge...No guessing where that came from! I certainly don't blame the staff, they were doing the best they could do under the circumstances. On a 'happier' note the other half broke his wrist and spent 3 nights in hospital earlier this year...We couldn't fault the hospital on their standard of cleaning. Chris

Two fairly recent experiences: My County Hospital - I had anaphylactic shock (not the first time) and my daughter panicked and called an ambulance cos she couldnt work out how to get the adrenaline into the syringe. The Paramedics were absolutely marvellous, almost certainly saved my life, but insisted on taking me to hospital. There I languished on a trolley in reception until eventually I was pushed into A and E. It wasnt particularly busy and I was pushed into a cubicle with the curtains left open. There were soiled tissues on the table next to the bed, several dirty cups and the floor was filthy - not dirty, but filthy. Lots of Nurses etc passed to and fro. After SIX hours still no-one had come to look at me - at that point I loudly announced that I was feeling MUCH better and was going home. I had to sign a disclaimer and then left, paying a visit first to the FILTHY ward loo. In contrast, the week before, in Cyprus, I had a similar allergic reaction and my face swelled to the size of a football. My friend took me to a small clinic, where I was admitted straighaway to a beautiful room, spotlessly clean, with private loo shower and bath and a sun balcony! I was treated immediately and with careful concern by the Doctor in charge and a nurse visited me every fifteen minutes through the night. Next day I was asked what I would like to eat, and they sent out for it. An old Cypriot lady was constantly washing the floors and another carefully dusted, then wiped, all surfaces with a clean cloth, which she put in her bin before she left my room. My bed was pushed onto the balcony while all this went on. I was discharged after 36 hours, but had to return four times a day for injections until I returned home at the end of the week. The cost for all this was £57 - I didnt even bother to claim it on my holiday insurance! I know that wages are VERY low in Cyprus - but that didnt seem to stop anyone doing a thorough job. (My County Hospital is the same one where I gave birth to two of my daugters in the late 70s - it was a little palace then and I could not have faulted it. What, I wonder, has gone wrong?) Olde Crone

When my nan was in hospital, I had a bit of a go and some snobby woman who wouldn't take her white gloves off to use the alcho-rub, put outside the wards. -Silly moo!

Hi Well Going back a lot of years, I had had my 1st child, and was on the loo, watching silverfish crawling all over the floor. I couldn't believe it. Granny

Hi Roxanne Yes Dad did sue them and has just won a substantial amount of money.. and although that money will help with the 24 hour care that he now needs, all he ever really wanted was an apology.. Which to this day he has never had... This happened 6 years ago!! Maz x

When I was in Wycombe General, there was nothing much to do except observe what went on around one. The Irish lady was very diligent and daily carefully cleaned the floors, equally carefully missing the same bits every day. When I was admitted, there was a lost sock on the window sill. She carefully dusted the sill up to the sock, lifted her duster over and did the other side of the sill. The sock was still there after 7 days when I was discharged. I often wonder about that sock. Is it still there? len

Maz, thats truely terrible, I hope he sued them!! Pat, so it looks like Irelands the same, I was disgusted at the sight of the conditions in this hospital, not only were the toilets filthy(used by patients, staff and visitors) but there was rubbish bins full to the top,this was a hospital that many years ago was known for its hygiene and good management, how times have changed. the hospitals here (in Spain) could teach them a few things!!

With the superbugs now planted firmly in the hospitals, cleanliness should be top priority! But it is not all down to the cleanliness, some of it is down to pure neglect... My dad went for a heart by pass operation, one of 5 patients that morning... All of them were screened for M.R.S.A... All patients proved positive to M.R.S.A EXCEPT my dad.. who was then taken to theatre LAST! We didnt find this out until 2 years later!!! Dad was then not treated for M.R.S.A in time and suffered horrendously due to it... The best part..?? The surgeons initials were.. MR.S.A!! Talk about a personal touch! Maz x

Hi Roxanne, Although not in the UK just thought of my experience this year. I've had two fortnights in Hospital this year first time in intensive care but the second time was on a general ward. The toilets we used were also used by all the visitors & they were in a terrible state. They were only cleaned out once a day in the mornings. In the afternoon visitors' children were in & out of the toilets not pulling chains etc., also being allowed to play with the long loo rolls (those industrial type go on forever). I brought in wipes so everytime I had to go I would clean the toilet first. I ended up with a bug & had to go in isolation at least I had a clean toilet to use. I believe it was due to the state of the loos that I got the bug. The staff are belonging to the Hospital they are not contract cleaners. The Hospital i'm under has been named as the dirtiest on the East Coast and the third dirtiest in Ireland. :-((( Pat x

Not sure whether it was staff shortage or just lack of interest in 'people care' but my mother was in hospital or two days last week and from what I was told her treatment was appalling. She was sick in the ambulance (always has suffered from travel sickness) on the way to the hospital. On arrival they put her clothes in a plastic bag and gave her a hospital nightgown. She needed another pillow and there either wasn't one or no-one bothered to find out. While she was laying in bed a drink was taken to her and when she asked to be helped to sit up she was ignored. It was only due to the kindness of the patient in the next bed that Mum managed to have a drink at all. This lady was also good enough to give my Mum an extra pillow. After an overnight stay, Mum was sent back to the residential home where she is living. As her clothes were still soiled from the trip to the hospital she was wrapped in a sheet and a blanket. She arrived at the home freezing cold and in a very distressed state. This is not the first time this particular hospital has acted in such an uncaring manner. When my Mum had her stroke in January it was to this hospital that she was taken. She was ignored when she asked for the toilet and a lady opposite her was in tears crying for help. When I approached the nurses who were standing around talking they just looked at me as if I wasn;t there. In the end I went to the office and complained to the staff nurse who told me she was to busy at the moment to deal with it. She then continued her phone call about what a great night out she'd had the night before ! Sorry I've gone on a bit but this sort of treatment of any patients, young or old is no way acceptable and should not be tolerated. But who do we complain to especially when there is a high probability that a member of our family will need to visit that hospital again ?

I have not been in hospital for about three years. I found them fairly clean but my observation would be that on most wards they were perhaps one nurse short, the same could be said about the cleaners. everyone seemed to be rushing around, not having time to do much more than their basic work. Happy days

I dont think there are any excuses, conditions in a hospital should be sterile, The government seem more concerned with targets than hygiene I think its a disgrace.

annie you are right, some people are disgusting.

I am a nurse and when I last worked in a hospital (maternity) I was amazed at what visitors would do in the hospital graffitti in the toilets, remains of a picnic on the floor.... Once a family were so busy celebrating the birth of a baby that one member who had over indulged was sick in the lift. The smell permeated all floors for hours. It is not all the cleaners fault.

The whole thing is an absolute shambles. Bring back proper Managers, who manage people, not paper and emails. Thirty years ago there was a Matron in charge of every hospital who spent most of her working time doing the rounds, managing her staff, not sitting behind a computer screen filling in returns. Each ward had a sister who ruled with a rod of iron, particularly in the surgical wards, where not one speck of dust was allowed. Infection was almost unheard of, and was almost a hanging offence if it was ever to occur. Nurses and doctors should be required to change out of their outdoor clothes before they go on duty and wear sterilised uniforms. When they leave work they leave their hospital clothes behind. Contrast this with what actually happens today when nursing staff arrive to work in clothes that they have worn to travel to work, wander round the town in, and who knows when were last washed in a sterilised environment. It doesn't take a genius to fix this problem

It's predictable isn't it. Someone is bound to say 'Bring back Matron' as if that would solve anything. Surely if the cleaners don't do their job then their supervisors should be told and if the person in charge of the ward doesn't make sure that it is cleaned then they are failing to do their own job properly. The cleaning companies have contracts which detail what they are supposed to do and they can be penalised if they fail, so the solution lies where it always has - with the ward sister or charge hand. Years ago it was a general rule to keep women in hospital for much longer than necessary because they would get so bored that they would help out with the running of the ward. Bob ps I worked in a hospital for 10 years and my wife for 20.

Yes our hospitals are not as clean as they should be, but then we dont want to pay anymore tax so you get what you pay for.