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"Nurses Struggling Without Equipment"

About: St John's Hospital / Ear, Nose & Throat

(as the patient),

Unfortunately, I find myself unwell again and back in the care of NHS Scotland. I'm on a mixture of IV antibiotics and tablet antibiotics.  However, since I am permanently Nil by Mouth all my nutrition and medication has to go through a tube in my tummy.

The Ward doesn't seem to have a single pill crusher so the poor Nurse had to try and grind up the tablets with two spoons.

Quite a lot seemed to spill out onto the table and more got stuck on the back of one of the spoons so I probably got 60% of the dose.

It's no criticism of the Nurse, she was doing her best in poor circumstances and with the wrong tools.  On a Ward where more than half of the patients seem to have a nasal tube or, like me, a tube in their tummy it seems odd that there aren't any pill crushers available.

Otherwise my care has been excellent and speedy but that care, and the care of my fellow Ward patients, seems to be being let down for the want of some simple pill crusher.

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Responses

Response from Karen Wilson, Deputy Associate Nurse Director, St John's Hospital, NHS Lothian last month
Karen Wilson
Deputy Associate Nurse Director,
St John's Hospital, NHS Lothian
Submitted on 03/03/2025 at 11:20
Published on Care Opinion at 11:22


Dear Gryffindor Team Captain

Thank you for taking the time to provide this feedback. I am pleased to hear that you have received excellent care from the nursing team.

It is disappointing to hear that nursing staff did not have equipment that they required to ensure safe and effective administration of medication. Pill crushers should be available within ward areas.

Having explored this lack of equipment with the SCN for the area we identified an issue with the ordering of this item of equipment and this has now been rectified and pill crushers are now available on the ward.

Please accept my apologies and also my thanks for highlighting this issue to us. I hope that you are feeling better soon.

Karen Wilson

Deputy Associate Nurse Director

St Johns Hospital, PAEP & Endoscopy Pan Lothian

Karen.x.wilson@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Tel: 07976582291

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