So on Monday Jane had a day of chemotherapy which went by as normal, the only hiccup being we thought it was for 11am but in fact it was 12pm so we turned up an hour too soon. As usual they were short staffed so Jane didn’t get out until 4pm – it could be worse.
Yesterday Jane had another CT scan (a quarterly event) and she was worried because they need to inject iodine and the last time they failed to do it because they couldn’t get a line in however this time it went very smoothly. In the afternoon she was back again for an echocardiogram to check that her heart wasn’t being affected by the chemo. We won’t know the outcome until next week but it will be whatever it is and there’s no point worrying about it.
There’s a campaign on at the moment (hello my name is) to get health care staff to introduce themselves and it is striking how different departments behave in Lincoln County Hospital. The CT scan staff did not introduce themselves, gave no explanation of why Jane had to do things like drink cups of water or how long the process was going to be or what it would entail. Abrupt didn’t come into it. In marked contrast was the echocardiogram staff who asked for Jane spot on the appointment time, gave their name and explained what was going to happen. As I sat waiting for Jane to emerge from another ordeal I witnessed nurses introducing themselves time and time again. It was excellent but why such differences in the same hospital?
Hi steve and jane, thank you for the update. Also very interest in your observations about the campaign to ‘call patients by name and for staff to introduce themselves and explain procedures’
I totally agree with your comments and am always puzzled by such different working practices within the same hospital. Perhaps you should write to the hospital with your comments with particular praise for the staff in the cardiac department.
Love liz
Hi Liz. You’re absolutely right about the disparity within a single organisation. It costs nothing to be customer/patient friendly and with that in mind as soon as I finished the post I contacted Lincoln Hospital and commented on the experience we had. What amazes me is that these “caring” professionals cannot see this for themselves. You would have thought they went into nursing because they liked people but apparently not. As always, thanks for your comment and hope you are well. Love Steve & Jane xx
we are so glad to hear hear from you both, and that things are progressing….but can’t really pretend to understand all the medical terms steve quotes. but pleased to see looking after each other. The girls tell me to say Malvern is really going well and thanks for your support…check out their blog and all the other officical publiccations they are now publicicised. I am taking my elderly M and D on Sunday May 10th. Really looking fwd to it. If I don’t see you then, sorry, but enjoy. If you follow their blog and the numerous blogs connections you will see how many national publications they are now in…1st Timers…..so proud
Paul x
PS, thanks to so many. including Jane and Steve, the girls met their crowd funding target with 3 days to go!! Doesn’t mean they don’t need more support….just means they now have enough to “get down and get dirty! with the digging, and living in a caravan/tent for 3 weeks…dig, dig, dig!
They hope to see so many of their supporters there. I Will be. and I suspect (following the Press intersest in this,,,,it could be quite difficult to find 5 mins to speak with them on site….even if you are the dad/funder!
paul
Sorry about the jargon but I’m learning about the treatments and how the NHS functions (the good and the bad).
Yes we’re working out how we’re going to get to Malvern as we have a number of pressures on us at that time but we’re determined to get there somehow. I do get updates on Twitter so am following their successes and the new sponsors who keep popping up. Of course, as parents, you have a big investment in the project, in more ways than just finance.