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tougher visitor controls in hospitals?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Politics & Debate
i think it should be done especially after the outbreak of another harmless bacteria that turned anti-biotic immune and harmful....

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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The hospitals are supposd to keep to the "two vistiors a patient" rule. My mums hospital trust are now introducing very strict visting times with few exceptions, and have put alcohol gel hand washing stations by every bed, in every corridor and at the door to each ward.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I had a friend who was hospitalised recently, and the ward doesn't allow visitors after 8PM. I'm not sure if this is normal or not.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Mr M was in hospital for an op on his nose for a couple of days last week, they've cut out afternoon visiting altogether, there's just one hour in the evening and one visitor allowed per patient. There are gel dispensers everywhere and you're not allowed to take in food or flowers.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    makes it a pretty damn miserable time for the patients though.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Be even more miserable if they got C. difficile.

    I don't know if these measures make any difference or not.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I was allowed to visit 3pm- 8pm, no flowers, but food was ok to bring in. I agree thou, it would be bloody miserable for the patients. Not very nice for the relatives/loved ones either, when you're worried about the patient as it is, but I can see the other side to it.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I was in hospital recently, and it's a joke to say the least. Everything about the NHS service is crumbling from what I have seen. And people wonder why MRSA etc spreads around. I never once saw anyone mop the floors, and countless numbers of visitors had walked through, sitting on beds etc. A tissue was under a bed for days without any staff moving it.

    There are hand washing things on every bed, but what's the point if nobody is going to use them.
    Even one of the Senoir staff admitted "the place is filthy" to my mother, "best to get home as quick as possible" he said... well there you go!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Monserrat wrote: »
    I had a friend who was hospitalised recently, and the ward doesn't allow visitors after 8PM. I'm not sure if this is normal or not.

    It's been like for at least the 3 years in Plymouth. (maybe more but I'm not sure)
    There are hand washing things on every bed, but what's the point if nobody is going to use them.

    I've never seen these, but the last time I was in hospital was right at the end of 2004.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Miffy wrote: »
    Be even more miserable if they got C. difficile.

    I don't know if these measures make any difference or not.

    well yeah, but if visitors and staff actually washed their hands sometimes and the nurses actually enforced it,it would probably go further in preventing outbreaks than banning visitors.
    Limiting them i can understand.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    SuzyCreamcheese wrote: »
    well yeah, but if visitors and staff actually washed their hands sometimes and the nurses actually enforced it,it would probably go further in preventing outbreaks than banning visitors.

    There aren't enough nurses for that though, are there?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Nash wrote: »
    I was in hospital recently, and it's a joke to say the least. Everything about the NHS service is crumbling from what I have seen. And people wonder why MRSA etc spreads around. I never once saw anyone mop the floors, and countless numbers of visitors had walked through, sitting on beds etc. A tissue was under a bed for days without any staff moving it.

    There are hand washing things on every bed, but what's the point if nobody is going to use them.
    Even one of the Senoir staff admitted "the place is filthy" to my mother, "best to get home as quick as possible" he said... well there you go!

    you dont catch MRSA from uncleaned floors or anything like that

    it's a bacteria that lives on the skin its only harmlful in the body..... it's spread mainly from person to person in hospitals and door handles (which is why they're gradually putting in copper doro handles as they're mildy antiseptic in their nature)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Miffy wrote: »
    There aren't enough nurses for that though, are there?

    Actually the NHS has overhired doctors and nurses, the only problems in the NHS itself it seems are a lack of peopel trained to use specialised medical equipment like radiographers, and bureaucracy itself
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well perhaps that is true of the NHS overall, I don't know. But where I live they have been cutting frontline staff (i.e. doctors and nurses amongst others) to make cuts in order to pay for Alcatraz, I mean, the new hospital. (Yes, it looks like a prison.) When Mr M was in hospital this week they certainly seemed understaffed.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Partly because money is being invested in community services. If I was a nurse I'd be looking for work there right now...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    xsazx wrote: »
    Ye, in mums work theyre laying people off like there's no tommorow in attempt to sort their finance crisis out

    Theres a massive shuffle of jobs going on at my mums trust but as their buggering around with which hospitals are keeping A&E/major surgery and tretment sections in the various hospitals in the PCT, the vast majorities of reduncies wont be made for a few more months.

    My mums seriously considering taking early retirement from nursing in a couple of years time, as shes had enough of the entire system now.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've always wondered why hospitals aren't more strict when it comes to people visiting patients. The nurses aren't allowed to wear their uniforms outside anymore, they get changed once they get to work, and they must always their hands etc, but visitors can waltz in with outdoor clothing, muddy shoes, handbags, shopping bags, bunches of flowers, food, gifts etc and not even have to wash their hands before stroking their loved one's brow and poking their wounds with their MRSA covered skin.

    Sure, it might be more of a hassle getting them to wear some kind of protective suit but surely it's better than the alternative.

    Most people I know who've got an infection in hospital have given it to themselves. One guy (not a friend, just someone I know through friends) scratched and picked at his sticthes so much he infected himself with the otherwise harmless MRSA he carried on his skin.
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