Thank You for Your Help
I'm really overcome with all your responses and kind messages of support and all the emails and letters you have sent on my behalf to my MP, the Chief Executive of the NHS Hospital Trust and their Complaints Manager.
I thought on friday that Mark Hackett, the Chief Executive, had not responded to my email but infact had replied to our family email address and not my personal account from which I'd sent the emails. He had actually replied at 739am friday morning but I did not find it till after midnight as I was not expecting him to use that email address. He must have looked at my complaint 2 years ago and replied on that email address.
The sister from the chemo unit also phoned me at lunchtime and said that from now on they would organise a treatment recliner chair for me but only after I'd seen the consultant so it is only a partial solution as I can wait up to 2 hours to see the consultant from my appointment time. It was what was compromised on before but then the nursing staff in the chemo suite refused to give me a treatment chair so I'm not sure how satisfactory this will be as it still means waiting in a hard chair making my bum sore and does not support my crumbling spine or allow me to raise my feet to prevent my ankles swelling.
Today, I received a letter from Mr Hackett, saying that they will investigate my complaint so really am back in the same position as I was in 2006 when I made my first and only official complaint about the long delays in the chemo suite. Then I was told it could be negotiated to ensure I got an early appointment but this just hasn't happened and I was told that the seat situation would be investigated and new chairs were going to be ordere. Apparently, one week some new chairs were tried out but nothing has been seen or heard about these since. The last thing I was told which was probably about 6 months ago was that the chairs needed to be recovered due to infection control issues but no new chairs were going to be ordered. I'm sure it was one of the sisters who told me this.
I'm not sure how many people have responded but it seems a lot and a website has been opened on my behalf. I am really overwhelmed by your response and extremely grateful - I'm just hoping it doesn't all backfire on me now as I'm sure everyone is fed up getting all these emails supporting my complaint. It shows how strongly other people feel about how I have been treated and for that I'm extremely grateful and the softly, softly approach I took last time didn't work so hopefully this mass mailing will make a difference to me and others in my situation. I'm hoping the involvement of my MP will make a difference. I'm just very scared it will make things worse for me but then is that possible???
One of my friends wrote in her letter that she felt that the nurses did not understand my pain and were even rolling their eyes up with impatience. I had felt for a while that some of the nurses didn't like treating me but thought I was paranoid but she obviously has noticed it too. I think after nearly 4 years of going 1 -4 weekly we are all fed up with each other but they have to be professional towards me and sometimes it doesn't feel like that is happening whilst others go out of their way to be kind and helpful. I know they are horrendously over worked and many frequently work much longer hours than they are being paid for and can only get time back in lieu. There are some nurses who I suspect never claim the time back.
The whole cancer unit seems wholly understaffed and under funded. The day beds are being used as part of the ward still so day patients who should have beds are using the long stay chemo chairs and so this has an impact on people like me who are too ill too sit for that long in the waiting room. I don't understand why I have to provide my own pressure relief cushion as well and then it occurred to me that really it is expected for people to be 'well' and ill people like me are supposed to be in the day beds but can't as they are being used as wards beds so the whole system is in danger of ollapse which is scary.
The one thing is really good at my hospital is that the wait for urgent CT, MRI and ultrasound scans are minimal and urgent echo and xrays are often done the same day and the results are given on the same day unlike some hospitals so I suppose it is a trade off but it shouldn't be like this.
Anyway, once again thank you so much to all of you for helping me and supporting me and I will let you know what is happening and if I can put the website address on here.
Wait till you read about tax credits, my loan and the bank and the benefit system in my next post and our whole financial situation - you won't believe what has happened now.
I'm juust so glad we're off to Eurodisney on Monday so mum can look after me and we can have some fun before I face trying to sort out the benefits we shuld be entitled to!!
I'm really overcome with all your responses and kind messages of support and all the emails and letters you have sent on my behalf to my MP, the Chief Executive of the NHS Hospital Trust and their Complaints Manager.
I thought on friday that Mark Hackett, the Chief Executive, had not responded to my email but infact had replied to our family email address and not my personal account from which I'd sent the emails. He had actually replied at 739am friday morning but I did not find it till after midnight as I was not expecting him to use that email address. He must have looked at my complaint 2 years ago and replied on that email address.
The sister from the chemo unit also phoned me at lunchtime and said that from now on they would organise a treatment recliner chair for me but only after I'd seen the consultant so it is only a partial solution as I can wait up to 2 hours to see the consultant from my appointment time. It was what was compromised on before but then the nursing staff in the chemo suite refused to give me a treatment chair so I'm not sure how satisfactory this will be as it still means waiting in a hard chair making my bum sore and does not support my crumbling spine or allow me to raise my feet to prevent my ankles swelling.
Today, I received a letter from Mr Hackett, saying that they will investigate my complaint so really am back in the same position as I was in 2006 when I made my first and only official complaint about the long delays in the chemo suite. Then I was told it could be negotiated to ensure I got an early appointment but this just hasn't happened and I was told that the seat situation would be investigated and new chairs were going to be ordere. Apparently, one week some new chairs were tried out but nothing has been seen or heard about these since. The last thing I was told which was probably about 6 months ago was that the chairs needed to be recovered due to infection control issues but no new chairs were going to be ordered. I'm sure it was one of the sisters who told me this.
I'm not sure how many people have responded but it seems a lot and a website has been opened on my behalf. I am really overwhelmed by your response and extremely grateful - I'm just hoping it doesn't all backfire on me now as I'm sure everyone is fed up getting all these emails supporting my complaint. It shows how strongly other people feel about how I have been treated and for that I'm extremely grateful and the softly, softly approach I took last time didn't work so hopefully this mass mailing will make a difference to me and others in my situation. I'm hoping the involvement of my MP will make a difference. I'm just very scared it will make things worse for me but then is that possible???
One of my friends wrote in her letter that she felt that the nurses did not understand my pain and were even rolling their eyes up with impatience. I had felt for a while that some of the nurses didn't like treating me but thought I was paranoid but she obviously has noticed it too. I think after nearly 4 years of going 1 -4 weekly we are all fed up with each other but they have to be professional towards me and sometimes it doesn't feel like that is happening whilst others go out of their way to be kind and helpful. I know they are horrendously over worked and many frequently work much longer hours than they are being paid for and can only get time back in lieu. There are some nurses who I suspect never claim the time back.
The whole cancer unit seems wholly understaffed and under funded. The day beds are being used as part of the ward still so day patients who should have beds are using the long stay chemo chairs and so this has an impact on people like me who are too ill too sit for that long in the waiting room. I don't understand why I have to provide my own pressure relief cushion as well and then it occurred to me that really it is expected for people to be 'well' and ill people like me are supposed to be in the day beds but can't as they are being used as wards beds so the whole system is in danger of ollapse which is scary.
The one thing is really good at my hospital is that the wait for urgent CT, MRI and ultrasound scans are minimal and urgent echo and xrays are often done the same day and the results are given on the same day unlike some hospitals so I suppose it is a trade off but it shouldn't be like this.
Anyway, once again thank you so much to all of you for helping me and supporting me and I will let you know what is happening and if I can put the website address on here.
Wait till you read about tax credits, my loan and the bank and the benefit system in my next post and our whole financial situation - you won't believe what has happened now.
I'm juust so glad we're off to Eurodisney on Monday so mum can look after me and we can have some fun before I face trying to sort out the benefits we shuld be entitled to!!
Labels: Responses to my chemo complaint
posted by dippykate @ 8:15 PM
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