Public and Private Hospitals - whats best?

[bulletproofbarb]

I want to share a story first. Tonight, I worked an agency shift and we had 2 RN's on an acute medical ward for 15 patients. There was two new admissions, a post op, and a gastro prep in all that.

When I got there I told the manager I was extremely unhappy at the lack of staff and the situation was dangerous. She said she was unable to obtain any more nurses, she sent us a patient care aid.

It was a private hospital. The ward had 35 patients in total. We ended up with 4 RN's, 1 EN and 1 PCA.

The nurses in the area I was working with did not want to divide the patients up. She said they normally team work. I said I wasn't happy to do that and wanted a patient load that I could ensure medications and Obs, ect were done for. So, in the end she said okey but I know she was not happy.

I work in acute medical part time in a public hospital, we don't have nice carpet, pretty curtains, instant telephone and TV access, equiptment that works fully, pretty quilt covers, nice fancy cakes for afternoon teas (our patients don't even get afternon tea!) like the private hospital BUT we have nurses!!! We always have the amount of nurses we require, eventhough half our ward is staffed by agency and at times co-ordinated by agency. You may get a gab of 2 hours where they don't staff the area fully between 1 and 3pm. But, we always get nurses. We average about 5 patients each.

I have private health insurance because if I was ever to need medical care, I wouldn't want to be on a wait list. But, I would rather a nurse than a home made chochlate chip cookie, a room with fancy curtains ect.

Well, I prefer to work in a safe environment before a pretty one. I was thinking of ringing the nurses agency and finding out if they had staff that didn't get a shift tonight, then I would tell them why I am asking and then I would write to the hospital concerned. I am SERIOUSLY considering taking my name off that hospital with my agency.

I'm now left wondering why I have private hospital cover. This is not the first time I have been at a private hospital who use the nursing budget (IMO) to paint the walls and put new carpet down. oh, and leys not forget the home made choc chip cookies either

[gwenith, BSN, RN]

HMMM Grace I think we worked at the same hospital:eek:

Good news is that they have now decided to supply thermometers mainly because the agency staff used to turn up for work unprepared and have to beg steal or borrow. I think the union might have stepped in.

I suppose I am angry at the ACHS because I ran into a major problem at a major hospital and TRIED to take my concerns re care standards to the nursing administration and got told "A policy does not have to be written down to be a policy". This problem was not short staffing it was poor care and a culture of "Don't rock the boat" along with some of the worst documentation I have ever had the displeasure to encounter anywhere. NO care plans.

That hospital was accredited. After I failed to get any action or satisfaction from the administration of the hospital I tried approaching the ACHS myself only to find there is no mechanism for complaint.

Frustrating!!! One of the major problems with heatlh care is that the current "feedback" about poor standards of care is the law courts when someone sues the facility. This sort of feedback does not improve standards and can have anegative effect as payouts reduce budgets.

We need a method of feedback to the overseers of quality assurance if a facility is running below par.

Imagine this scenario. The ACHS instead of being a "Paper Tiger" became more like the health rights commission BUT it primary dealt with complaints from health care workers. You are concerned about the infection rate at a hospital - you contact them and they investigate. There would have to be checks and balances in place to ensure it did not get abused.

[bungies]

What an interesting thread. My most recent hospital experience was in a small public (cancer-specific) hospital. I can't speak highly enough of the place!! Only left because I wanted to work community. Long hours and busy shifts, but only 4 patients to a load (legislated in Vic for public), and staff support like you wouldn't believe. Openings for Nurse Practitioners, too. Great place.