What follows is a personal view and may contain some inaccuracies, nevertheless the general drift and tone is as true a record as I can manage from the perspective of a hospital bed.
I thought I might talk a little about the haematology unit in Nottingham. I think the building is about 7-8 years old, purpose built with a day case unit on the ground floor for people needing chemotherapy on an outpatient basis. Outpatients are downstairs as well. There is a lab as well so blood results are ready within a few minutes which means the Drs have your results immediately - fantastic!
Upstairs are two wards. On the first floor the ward is mainly used for chemotherapy. Some of the rooms are twin bedded, most are single rooms with en suite shower rooms.
On the floor above is the transplant ward which is where I am now. All the rooms are en suite. I'm in a 'lovely' room with a view across part of the hospital grounds and beyond, plenty of trees in view. One wall of my room has a large mural of a forest scene with dappled sunlight on the forest floor. The room is a good size so doesn't feel cramped at all. The main snag is that I'm confined to this room until my white blood cells & platelets start to return in a few weeks time.
Much more important than all this are the staff who care for us patients. On all three floors I have found them to be wonderful. There is a strong 'esprit de corp' everywhere which I'm sure reflects good ward management.
A lot of their work is quite technical. Preparing and delivering chemotherapy medication is complex. These are potentially lethal drugs so getting the right drug to the right patient at the right time and in the right dose is critical. In addition to these treatments there are even more drugs to minimise the risk of side effects, antibacterials, antifungals, antivirals, antiemetics anti inflammatories (steroids), antipyretics, analgesics, antihistamines, vitamin K IV & vitamins B & C also IV etc.
Nevertheless the staff ALL seems to have time to stop and listen when I have questions and when I need to off load. This includes not only the nurses and student nurses but the nurses in charge of the ward, (are they called matrons again these days?). It also includes the kitchen staff, the cleaners, porters and the staff in the respiratory assessment unit, X Ray and cardiology. It's not unusual to see people step out of their role and help someone else, senior nurses clearing away breakfast or serving lunch, bedmaking etc.
All the staff here are a deep rich precious golden treasure for whom nothing is too much trouble. They all seem to have time for their patients. This is despite the fact that I have heard several times from elsewhere that the haematology wards have a reputation for being extremely busy.
* Beatles "Let It Be" track 5
(Continued on next page)
No comments:
Post a Comment