Yesterday I briefly mentioned that my mother had a heart attack at the weekend. I want to talk about it a little but I promise this won’t be an “oh woe is me” post that’ll ruin your Tuesday.
Firstly, Mum is doing well. In fact after surgery she seems sharper and more energetic than I have seen her in years. Basically, the blockage in her arteries has been slowing her down physically and mentally for a while now, so after the artery was cleared and the stent put in place, her body is now free to get on with more important things like making dirty jokes to my girlfriend or not letting me get a word in edgewise! My Dad & I (and Mum herself) had put this slowing down to a combination of getting older, the strokes she suffered a decade ago and even depression; gladly we’ve been proven wrong.
Now, I’m not stupid, I know my Mum is getting on, and I don’t expect her to suddenly become the woman I knew in my teens. I know she needs to rehabilitate properly and change her lifestyle a chunk to avoid further blockages, but if this means her & Pops can enjoy their retirement and each other, then what more can I ask. Fingers crossed the stent holds and she manages to shake her vicious biscuit addiction.
So to the slightly idiotic title of this post…
In my life I’ve not had a vast amount of dealing with the NHS. Hernias when I was a kid (the actual reason I took the name “sac”; to be clear I had giant balls for a 10 year old), odd broken bones, the odd bout of man-flu and a few things you don’t need to know, but in the round I have been fortunate enough to avoid the health service. So my view of the NHS in general is a little under informed by slanted newspaper print & rolling 24hour news. However, sitting in that ward for just 4 hours yesterday illustrated to me how truly idiotic it is to even discuss the idea of cutting NHS funding.
Just looking at the nurses, in that short time I saw them deal with true human sadness. People who hours before were moments from death, a man repeatedly wetting himself, angry wives worried about husbands, the largest woman I’ve ever seen unable to get herself to the toilet, shit, piss, blood and fear. Nurses dealing with this without a pause, without a grimace, and with the ability to share a smile with the people who need it. We weren’t even on an intensive care ward; Nurses there deal with death on an hourly basis. Yes, it’s their job. Yes, it’s their choice, but in all honesty, how much would you expect to get paid to wipe a dying mans arse? You’d certainly expect more than an average full-time burger flipper in the golden arches, but sadly you’d be disappointed. Experienced staff nurses average £21k. Full-time Mcdonalds employee in London…. £21k…
That’s insanity surely? I’d like to think that when I’m lying in a ward covered in my own waste, with my heart clogged with fat, the person looking after me would surely be paid more than the person who put me there?
Now, I’m not even talking about the care my mother received. From the moment my dad dialled 999, to my mother getting back on the ward from surgery was a total of 5 hours; 5 hours in which everything was done with professionalism and efficiency, 5 hours in which my mother got the chance at a better future.
I couldn’t agree more, hope she gets better and better and you al have a good Christmas
xxx
Well said Dan, my mother is a nurse and you tell it like it is. They work so hard for so little just because they are the kind of people who love to give. They should be rewarded for the tireless efforts.
Glad your mum is doing well, wish her my best.
Ben.
Hi Dan,
I seriously thought you was going to do some serious slagging about the NHS then, I was going to get all defensive and angry in that situation, but as a genuine idol you are, I am glad you are praising the NHS. I do think people will think differently, If you, a brilliant, singer/songwriter, lyricist, poet, thinker, shed truthful and honest light onto the life-saving, brilliant and largely taken for granted NHS. As well as going to College, I work part-time in a hospital cafe and serve hot drinks and food to many nurses, doctors, consultants, assistants, What’s amazing to see is, a weary-eyed consultant, 14 hours into a long shift running into a cafe for a black coffee and rushing out again for another patience. These professionals live their lives to save people. People will scrutinise and try to alter the NHS until the funding dries and there is a monopoly of private investors, but the ones that uphold such a tremendous service is the women and men in hospital and the associates that take shit from politicians that make decisions from green, leather seats, from drunken accidents in A & E from angry patients. These people don’t just deserve a pay rise, the deserve to be noticed, surely you would call these people Hero’s that fixed your mum….
Merry Christmas Dan & Speedy recovery for your mum! xx
All so true Dan – we had a similar experience when my 80+ year old Granda had a pretty big heart attack a few years ago. He was sorted out, including massive operation within a day and he was then fitter and healthier than he’d been for years. The NHS gets a really raw deal in the press.
Royal Berks FTW.
My madre is a nurse, and on similar wage. It’s pretty awful, given the hours she puts in. By comparison, as a teacher, I earn more than her. I know the work I do is nowhere near as strenuous emotionally or physically. We are both in the public sector, and the only time I will ever say teachers have things easy is in comparison to health workers.
Secondly, the one time I’ve needed them, the NHS came up trumps for me, too. I blew a disc in my back a few years ago. It took a long time to get seen by a specialist, during which I was in a lot of pain. But when I was seen, I was MRI’d, consulted and operated on within 48 hours. I was on my feet in two days, and had round the clock care. I too, saw some awful things (emergency op wards are terrifying places). Cutting NHS funding is ridiculous. Cutting their staff funding is inexcusable and impossible to justify.
I’m glad you saw the good side and nurses deserve their pay 10 fold
My dads heart attack nhs perfect couldn’t ask for better care
My mums cancer treated with dignity and respect with a few minor slip UPS
My best friend cancer again a+ treatment
My ex and current girlfriend on the gynological wards complete lack of basic medicine past from piller to post with no answer at all and lack of care its truly shocking how much a hospital can change from ward to ward
My uncle bowl cancer should have had regular scans and appointments however a clerical balls up ment no after care and 3 years later an apology after they got in trouble for missed appointments and had to re check their system luckily he is ok but it could of been a very different out come
Those are some really lovely words Dan. Up till recently I was working in the London Chest which takes all the heart attacks for the north east London and Essex region. “efficiency savings” have meant large amounts of cutbacks with massively low morale on the wards. From what I gather, there’s similar pictures in most other units around the country.
For what it’s worth, I’d encourage you to send in a copy of piece to the hospital chief executive, ward sister and consultant. you can do this via the PALS service for the hospital. it always makes a nice change to get a but of positive feedback and look a good when HE are deciding whether to can your ass.
In my experience, when you really need it, the NHS comes up trumps. GPs on the other hand, are generally toss.
My sister-in-law is a nurse on an oncology ward and you don’t get much more depressing than that. She is so overstretched that she’s just been forced o take a week off due to stress and depression. She doesn’t even get the time for a brief ono-to-one meeting and medication check for all her patients on any one given shift. So inevitably, some are missing out. She’s considering moving to a hospice where people go to die, as this seems a more attractive working environment. Nice. xx