This is a shocker

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Plastics. General Surgery. ITU. Oncology.

News item from the Daily Mail

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1261457/Dying-hospital-patient-phoned-switchboard-begging-drink-nurses-said-No.html

If true, and I reserve judgement on this as the Mail has a track record of these NHS-bashing tales, then this is appalling. Note the comments section at the end of the report though. The opinions expresses about nurses are sad and shocking.

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Specializes in A and E, Medicine, Surgery.

I have just finished reading this on the sky news website. I cannot put into words how awful I feel as a nurse hearing the lack of care this patient was given. What an awful and tragic waste.

I am even more saddened by the comments posted on the sky news and daily mail sites that basic lump all nurses in one bad pot. They label us all as uncaring and unfeeling and more interested in gossip magazines than patient care. These comments make me so sad because I believe that generally nurses do care, do feel and put their patient first. I wonder why we all get punished for the appalling neglect of a few. I don't know any nurse that would not do anything possible to make a dying patient more comfortable.

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I'll wait until I hear the other side's version of events.

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Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.

A very sad story indeed. :( My heart goes out to the family.

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Specializes in cadiac-thoracic post sx.

unbelievable!!!! truely disturbing. what an awful way to go? im wondering was this patinet on a monitered floor? how often are they supposed to take vital signs on there patients. I work on a post cabg floor and its not uncommon for at patient to come back into the hospital for a sternal wound infection especially if the patient doesn't use sternal precautions or if the patient is overweight becasuse that puts extra pressure on the sternum. on our floor we do vital signs Q4hours and we have recently started hourly rounding. how is it this pt went this long without being checked on. and what about his O2 sats? 35% below what does that mean is sats where in the 70's and no one did anything about that. well how could they if they were not checking on it. how and why would anyone refuse to give a patient the basic necessity of water? from what it sounds the pt wasn't npo. and so what he spilled the last water cup. how many times do we have to clean up urine and feces a day. and yet she didn't want to get him water because he spilled the last cup. are you serious?? i CANNOT understand the mentality of some people. its stories like this where nurses can get bad reps. all i can say is that i thank god i am in a hospital where i know we provide good care and when i pass report onto the next nurse i don't worry about my patients because i know the next nurse will provide excellent care as well. im am soo saddened for this poor man who passed away and for his family. god be with him. (sorry for the rant)

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The Daily Mail is a tabloid newspaper - think The Enquirer.......

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I'll wait for the other side of the story. Before we go on a witch hunt against fellow nurses, let's wait and see what the investigation finds. There might be an issue of confusion or delirium on the part of the patient. Odd they would have singled him out to "put him off in a room with no monitoring", but there are no complaints from any other patients in that floor. Where they out to get him? I am left feeling confused.

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