Tag: #deathofNHS

My dad

My dad Eric (the brave)

The NHS is beyond on its knees, truly not at breaking point,that was history. GP practices turning seriously ill folk away before they are even triaged. People queueing outside for non existent appointments, but can’t phone in because the phone lines are jammed every day.
When or rather if someone gets an appointment, it’s for a locum doctor who will be gone before any further appointment is made.
Tasks not completed by overwhelmed GP’s and practice staff.
People sadly are being missed and dying because of this. But if you are a private patient it’s completely different.

It us the same with hospitals sadly, especially in my experience Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

This is a chronology of my dad’s journey this year.

Eric’s journey to date – abridged

  1. January 2024 Admitted to Chesterfield with stomach, back pains and temperature
  2. Wrong diagnosis made in A&E
  3. Wrong diagnosis made upon ward, no treatment started.
  4. Was told he had terminal cancer and would die soon by Urology Registrar, without any evidence or cause. This was with the entire family
  1. Gave up hope and stopped eating. Was gagging on food. Prescribed 40 sips
  2. Kidney function deteriorated rapidly
  3. Blockage between the kidney and bowel identified.
  4. Discharged with severe sepsis
  5. 3Hrs later taken by ambulance to A&E and readmitted
  6. Attempt to clear blockage failed
  7. Second attempt to clear blockage failed
  8. Attempt to insert stent failed both from above and below.
  9. Was given a nephrostomy
  10. Discharge planning arranged at home by his son as ward failed to do so
  11. Initial support provided by both community health and social care.
  12. District nurses not familiar with nephrostomy and treat as if a simple catheter. They are confused by valve. On one occasion pulled tube out of kidney causing a need reinsertion in X-ray dept
  13. Second occasion pulled out by catching. Then had infection, treated in hospital on antibiotics
  14. Reinsertion failed and had to be repeated following day as tube came out immediately
  15. Ongoing issues when district nurses do bag, occasionally one will know what they are doing but often not.
  16. Referred to Urology at Sheffield.
  17. On Thursday last week he had visit from practice nurse due to his being sick when eating. Nurse prescribed anti-sickness medication
  18. Friday GP practice again contacted but would not provide support.
  19. Friday evening 111 sent paramedic Practitioner out. They were concerned about low sodium levels, advised emergency blood tests Monday am. Prescribed antibiotics for suspected urinary infection
  20. GP practice refused to undertake blood tests
  21. Monday afternoon took to Urology at Sheffield for prearranged appointment, however Hallam Specialist agreed urgent blood tests required. These were done on ward
  22. 12.30 at night call from Urology doctor at Hallam stating blood tests showed extremely low sodium 120. Advised take to closest A&E urgently
  23. Sheffield Urology doctor rang A&E nurse at Chesterfield and explained urgency
  24. 1am arrived at A&E Chesterfield Royal, were initially seen quickly, and told they would get him medicated ASAP.
  25. 4.30 spoke to A&E sister, she stated no contact received from Sheffield.
  26. Simon got Urology Doctor from Sheffield on my phone to talk to her directly.
  27. Dad moved from A&E waiting room to consultation room. Both Eric and his wife were now beyond exhausted.
  28. Simon left to go home and take medications for chronic health conditions
  29. Eric moved to a corridor
  30. Eric moved to Majors
  31. Eric moved to a corridor again
  32. Eric moved to EMU, this is where he received his first medication 16hrs after admission. Sodium now 116
  33. Simon spoke to EMU staff and had to again explain issues.
  34. Helen rang EMU spoke to nurse upon ward.
  35. Simon and Margaret arrived at EMU, spoke to Junior doctor, then were joined by the hospital divisional director. Suspicion of pneumonia or sepsis in lungs. Eric prescribed new antibiotics
  36. Plan made for scans to neck
  37. Eric moved to Ashover ward, adult frailty ward, onto a closed bay that had infectious patients on it.
  38. Following morning they were going to discharge Eric despite sodium levels still being low and on intravenous sodium.
  39. Registrar  agreed plan for discharge. This was sickness to be stopped, Nephrostomy bag changed and scans to brain and gullet with results
  40. Thursday Eric discharged from Adult Frailty ward, family told his sickness had stopped 18hrs before.
  41. Upon discharge at home, Eric stated he was still being sick and continued to be so at home. Unable to keep food or medications including antibiotics down.
  42. Nephrostomy blocked since discharge. Eric attended A&E again, Sam – nurse from Urology met him at A&E, flushed and changed bag. Ward had not flushed and fitted the valve wrongly
  43. Blood in urine once home.
  44. District nurses attended stating blood seemed to have improved. Advised to wait. But advised contact GP to get meds in liquid form
  45. Blue Dyke Surgery stated its Friday afternoon and we are too busy
  46. Margaret stated concerned he would die if couldn’t take meds including antibiotics for lung infection. Receptionist stated not her problem.
  47. 4pm Friday 111 called ambulance which did not arrive till early following morning.
  48. Blood in urine continues
  49. Urine seems not to be draining into bag. What was in bag still blood stained.
  50. Discussion with Urology Sheffield, Helen told by reception that it’s probably a bug
  51. Simon calls Urology Sheffield, explains that Nephrostomy does not seem to be draining and that he believes it may have been dislodged or moved in kidney. He is called by staff nurse, she speaks to Urology doctor. Advise going to Northern General A&E. She believes they will likely transfer Eric to Urology at Sheffield Hallam.

He is now in Hallamshire as in-patient. Chesterfield discharged him with pneumonia, his sodium levels were 116 MEQ/L, now though they are even more dangerously low.
He was only to be discharged once the chest infection had cleared, he had stopped being sick and his sodium levels were safe.
We held the discharge up for 24hrs, but then they lied on all accounts.
I may not be able to sue them if I post on SM, but don’t want money, I want my dad, and everyone to be safe from this malpractice.
A sick patient, no matter how old is not a bleeding “bed blocker” they are a human being, they are husbands, wives, children, siblings, parents….human beings.
Governments, years and years of corrupt governments have put the NHS under immense pressure, but these staff at Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Chesterfield Health Foundation Trust (formerly Blue Dyke Surgery) are deliberately colluding with government imposed pressures to not only put people at risk but, kill them through their actions, inactions, poor professionalism, and dishonesty/lies.
I will not be quiet about this, I will no longer be kept silenced by them.
My 35yr old brother died 5yrs ago because Chesterfield Royal Hospital Ridgeway nurses had no understanding of diabetes, ketoacidosis or the aggression extremely high blood sugars cause. They allowed my hallucinating brother to discharge himself with terminal kidney damage caused by blood sugars of 48mmu. He died a week later, 4 days after Christmas.
Now the same Hospital are trying to kill my father in the same way.
I spent my life protecting people from harm, even during the pandemic, after my brothers death, because I did not want anyone else to go through such pain, and now they do this, deliberately! No life lost is acceptable.
@highlight Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS FT & RoyalfoundationTrust

Waiting

Treatment that didn’t come for 16hrs

Death or fight!

Today I received a letter from Kingsmill Hospital, in regard to the referral my GP made in October 2021. The appointment I have been given is for mid June 2022.
This was after I finally managed to get through to their appointments team, given I had been ringing them almost daily since December 2021 and have only last week finally got through.
It was also after explaining my circumstances to them, to Patient Advice and Liaison (PALS) and them taking it not to a clinician but a business team.
When I spoke to them I explained my blood sugars range daily from 3 to 33mml. That this poor control is due to medication and effects of my other illnesses. That I have had consultant’s in diabetes, crohns and pain management look at how to gain better control.
I explained on top of this I have neuropathy (biggest cause of amputation in UK) which along with other conditions brings about severe constant pain and quite often a quality of life that makes me question why I carry on.
So it will be 9 months from referral to appointment (if they do not cancel it) before I am seen
In the mean time I continue to use insulin, in high dises, ozempic in highest dose, along with my other medications without any support or consultation.
Yes my GP surgery try to help but sadly with the complication factors of my other illnesses, the nurses and doctors openly admit they are out of their depth.
Now I was able to finally get to speak to someone, I had the ability to put my needs forward, to insist in being heard. Sadly many cannot. Many may have to rely on support worker to try to ring as and when they can, others on family or friends and many with no support nor ability
I am not blaming the clinicians. The call handles, PALS or even the business team, the fault is 100% on this government, on previous governments including that of “New Labour’ the party run by Blair and emulated with such vigor by Starmer and Raynor.
The Conservatives and neoliberalism of the UK, the capitalists, the shareholders of corporations here and in the USA, in France, Germany and even Russian and China all want a profit from the breakup of the NHS.
The NHS was set up to protect the people, to ensure we in the UK had not just a basic but groundbreaking health service to ensure we were kept as well as could be. When it was set up it was to give us support and care from birth to death. It was not perfect, but it was the pride of Britain and the envy of the world. There was no postcode lottery on services (until Thatcher then Blair) there was a reliable efficient service that meant injury and illness were not going to break families, not cause poverty, pain, or undue suffering
But greed and corruption was introduced by Thatcher, by Blair and every subsequent government and most ministers.
Now the NHS breathes the final breaths of a dying monolith. It will be remembered by those of us lucky enough to have been able to rely on it, with affection, pride and sadly loss
I am but one person of approximately 68,000,000 living in the UK. I am not in the worst of positions, unlike my 35yr old brother who died in extreme pain over a period of years, due to being unsupported and failed with his medication, no support and even improper diagnosis of his of diabetes 2yrs ago leaving behind his 8yr old son, I am still alive – for now.
We cannot let this continue any longer, the destruction of the NHS must be stopped, those theives and robbers that call thieves MP’s held to account. Private health shut down. Health care is not a luxury. Since the 1940’s in the UK its been our birthright. Do not let them take that from us,not now or ever!
Fight!