THERE IS A BENEFIT

Years ago, recovering from Polio; we used hospital corridors for wheelchair racing.

Us parients got our kicks tearing up and down the corridors in wheelchairs –  annoying Sister on the way – b keeping our spirits up during long months of treatment.

Today,  you could not use corridors as race tracks as they are full of trolleys and being used as part of hospital A & E Departments.  But before complaining about this, there could be a plus side – particularly for female patients.

Today’s A & E

Recently I spent 72 hours in my local  A & E,  part of a 1,000-bed mega hospital.  During that time, two nurses (one male and one female) appeared at my bedside:  “We’ve come to give you a bed bath”.  Wonderful!

The female left her male colleague to get on with the job – not very dignified for me, but I supposed this was today’s PC  NHS.  Suddenly I felt something weird – I was being given what in PC language is called “sexually inappropriate behavior”.  I screamed – the male nurse disappeared.

Complaint

Yes, I did try to complain.  But everyone was far too busy to listen – and frankly, I could see their point.  I did take it up after I left, but gave up.  In the old days Matron (with an eye on everything) would have sorted this out. Today, the NHS Complaints procedure is designed to make life as difficult and time-consuming for patients as possible, so you give up.  I did get a meeting organised by PALS, but I thought it would be a waste of their precious time to pursue this.

Frankly,  I can now see an advantage to nursing in a corridor, where it is all out in the open!!  However, at the age of 86, I was rather proud that I could still attract this type of attention.