"Two years on at Highbury Hospital"

About: Highbury Hospital Highbury Hospital Nottingham NG6 9DR

Posted by it'salwaystherighttimetodotherightthing (as a relative), 10 years ago

After two years my relative has been transferred to Highbury Hospital again. The same issues that presented then are still there today.
The Trust makes out that it wants to learn from mistakes and wants to work with families, with patients at the centre. I think some of the staff who write these fanciful policies need to go and stay on the wards at Highbury to know what treatment is received by some patients.
It took I don't know how long to get sight of a care plan, which turned out not to be a care plan at all and it certainly wasn't put together with my relative. What was written was full of inaccuracies, with no member of staff knowing where the misinformation had come from and no member of staff bothered about correcting the errors, despite the impact on my relative.
Consulting with relatives and carers... well that is just a joke... we were not informed when my relative was transferred to Highbury and no member of staff seems to see it as their responsibility to provide any information at all. Endless calls made, only to go around in circles. The most you get is that concerns will be put in the notes.
Everything seems to be dictated by the doctors, with nursing staff seeming not to have any meaningful input in decision making. Patients and carers views, in my humble opinion, aren't even on the radar.
The complaints system... well, I have tried that before, but understanding the process is a nightmare. Pals appear to exist to protect the Trusts reputation and so it is no surprise that investigating a complaint takes ages and at the end of it, everything is denied and the staff become even more defensive. It doesn't help at all.
Then there are the responses you get if you leave feedback on sites like this... I am sorry to hear about your experience etc. etc. I am sure that on the surface it looks like these people will take issues seriously, but they don't. Until patients, families and carers are treated as equals, treated with real dignity and respect then there will be no improvements to this service.
Equally nursing staff also need to have as important a role as the doctors. They shouldn't just be sitting in a meeting with no voice and relaying doctor's decisions whether they agree with them or not. Is that what the trust means by collaborative working?

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Responses

Tracey Taylor

Community Psychiatric Nurse, City East Local Mental Health Team,

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

I am a Community Psychiatric Nurse

Submitted on 23/01/2015 at 08:10

Published on Care Opinion at 09:00

Hello
I would like to hear more from you about yours and your relatives experiences of our services and to discuss with you how we can improve.
If you would like to contact me my number is 0115 955 5358 or you can email me at tracey.taylor@nottshc.nhs.uk
thank you
Tracey

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Update posted by it'salwaystherighttimetodotherightthing (a relative) 10 years ago

Thank you for your response. I appreciate that as a trust you want to be seen to be taking patient and family/carer concerns seriously.
Unfortunately, I know from experience that this doesn't happen in reality. I also think that the issues raised in the post are clear. Real change and improvement will come in part when patients/service users and their families, friends and carers are genuinely listened to.
It will also require good staff to speak up when they see bad practice, or when they don't agree with decisions about care and treatment, or when they do not feel that they have had adequate training.
To just say, it's nothing to do with me, or I agree with you but it's out of my hands, or I am just passing on a message is just not acceptable and nor is it helpful. It isn't, the kind of job to just get through your shift and go with the flow, whether it is damaging to the patient or not.
I am aware that staff members read these posts, so hopefully some of those who do care about the patients will take some notice of the genuine concerns that have been raised and reflect on their own practice.
Those staff members who don't care and think that they have a right to talk down to patients/carers, to mock them and make fun of them, well hopefully one day such attitudes and behaviours will be stamped out. When that day comes, I will know that real progress has been made towards seeing us as all as equals.

Tracey Taylor

Community Psychiatric Nurse, City East Local Mental Health Team,

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

I am a Community Psychiatric Nurse

Submitted on 23/01/2015 at 15:41

Published on Care Opinion at 16:06

Hello
Your posts are very comprehensive and I will ensure that my colleagues who manage the wards see them.
I do genuinely take your the issues you have raised seriously and I am concerned that your previous experience has been to feel fobbed off and that nothings changes. I agree completely that patients, carers and all staff should be involved in decision making and their voices heard. Of most concern to me is your description of staff talking down to or making fun of patients. That is unacceptable behaviour for anyone.
As you said staff and patients read these posts. If anyone would like to contact me about similar experiences here are my details again: my number is 0115 955 5358 or email me tracey.taylor@nottshc.nhs.uk, or contact me via further postings.
thank you
Tracey

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Beverley Johnson

Modern Matron, Adult Mental Health - Highbury,

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Submitted on 23/01/2015 at 16:43

Published on Care Opinion at 22:16

Hello
I agree with Tracey entirely. It saddened me to hear about your experience at Highbury.
We are always looking for ways to improve the experience of family friends and supporters. We have a Recovery forum focusing on these issues on the 5th February 9.30 until 1pm at Duncan Macmillan House. You would be welcome to join us.
Representative staff from all Adult Mental Health Teams will be present along with some family friends and supporters. We will have a talk about what is happening Nationally to improve services as well as in Adult Mental Health Services, some families will be talking about their story and some teams talking about their practice. Members of The Trust Involvement team will also be there to talk about the Carers Strategy.
If you would like to attend or to talk about it further please do contact me on 0115 9691300 ext 12324 email Beverley.johnson@nottshc.nhs.uk
Kind Regards
Bev Johnson

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Andrea Worrall

Acute Manager City & South, Adult Mental Health,

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Submitted on 26/01/2015 at 09:38

Published on Care Opinion at 12:07

Hello
I am saddened to hear about your experiences as a carer with regard to Highbury Inpatients Services.
I take the issues that you have raised very seriously. I am concerned that you feel you have not had your 'voice' heard and that you have not been involved in any decision making regarding your relative. It should be an integral part of patient care that family, and carers are involved in all aspects. I am also concerned with what you have raised regarding staff on the wards.
I would be happy to meet with you to discuss further and to resolve these issues.
If you would like to discuss further then please contact me on 0115 9691300 ext. 10285 email andrea.worral@nottshc.nhs.uk
Kind regards
Andrea Worral
Service Manager City and South

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Update posted by it'salwaystherighttimetodotherightthing (a relative) 10 years ago

Thank you for the further responses and thank you for the invitation to the recovery forum. Because of my own disability this is not an accessible time for me.
Re the further comments, yes our whole family experience of not having any voice is extremely sad. To the Trust however, our experience should not unfortunately come as a surprise. If you look at your last complaints and PALS report it states quite clearly that the most prominent issue in complaints relates to adequacy of patient nursing care. The issue of staff attitude featured highly throughout the Trust.
In relation to local services adult mental health received the most complaints, by some considerable margin. The report also highlights, what it describes as "stubborn problems" I.e. Issues which feature in complaints year after year.....for example carers dissatisfaction with levels of communication and staff attitude. Despite all of this well under one third of complaints are upheld or even partially upheld.
In local services, where complaints are investigated nearly one half of those lead to no action whatsoever. Even where a complaint is partially upheld, the Trust response to for example a carer alleging racism towards her son is quite shocking... ducking and diving away from any culpability and quoting misleading information from the Macpherson report.
Given this, please forgive me for not taking the responses given too seriously. With issues relating to staff attitude, which seems to be an issue running through the Trust, well this needs to be addressed by the Trust itself. Given the Trust report there clearly needs to be a wholesale cultural shift.

Tracey Taylor

Community Psychiatric Nurse, City East Local Mental Health Team,

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

I am a Community Psychiatric Nurse

Submitted on 26/01/2015 at 16:28

Published on Care Opinion at 16:42

Hello
I am sorry that this is the way you feel about your family's experience of our services. If you do decide that you would like to meet with Bev, Andrea or me please contact us via the details we have left on earlier posts.
thank you
Tracey

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Alison Harrison

Service Manager CRHT, Local Services,

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Submitted on 27/01/2015 at 13:54

Published on Care Opinion at 16:11

Hello,
I am saddened by your experience of services, I feel as ward manager we genuinelly strive to continue to improve in all areas of service delivery.I do appreciate that we dont always get it right.Giving live feedback to teams is a positive way to improve services for our patients and carers.
I can only echo Tracey Taylor's invitation to come in and discuss your experiences so we can hear you individual concerns and work on solutions to improve.
Alison Harrison Ward Manager Redwood 2

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Andrea Worrall

Acute Manager City & South, Adult Mental Health,

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

Submitted on 28/01/2015 at 10:18

Published on Care Opinion at 13:00

Hello
We are always looking at ways to improve and take your concerns very seriously. Tracey and I would like to arrange meet with you to discuss further, please could you get in touch with us to arrange a time and a place that is convienient to you.
our contact details are
01159691300 ext. 10285
andrea.worral@nottshc.nhs.uk
01159555358
tracey.taylor@nottshc.nhs.uk

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Update posted by it'salwaystherighttimetodotherightthing (a relative) 10 years ago

Just so that everybody is aware, I have raised all issues directly with the wards concerned, but it's like 'banging your head against a brick wall'. No attempt at involvement at all. No clue about plans for my relatives care. Not invited to reviews and not kept informed at all... constant chase for information and then everyone you speak to says something different.
It is a nightmare for us on the outside. Goodness knows what it is like for the patients staying on these wards. I really can't see any evidence to suggest a constant striving to improve in all areas.
I hasten to add that I have no direct experience of Redwood 2.

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