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Dialysis should be comfortable and relaxing

Posted By Bit519

"Dialysis should be comfortable and relaxing"

About: Scottish Ambulance Service / Patient Transport Service University Hospital Monklands / Renal (Ward 1)

(as a service user),

I have been a patient within the dialysis  ward for a number of years. The staff in general are very good and medically I have been well cared for however, there it ends. 

I firstly have been forced to use my own transport as the Scottish Ambulance service have only offered the most inefficient service. The service being provided is to uplift patients from home many in their 80s starting as early as 6. 15 am and taking up to 45 mins to reach Monklands, then admittance to the ward is is not permitted until 7. 30 am meaning daily patients some unwell are forced to sit for up to 30 mins in a draughty corridor, remembering many are aged 70/80 years.

The patient when allowed admission then is appointed to a dialysis station where they are efficiently dealt with by nursing staff however to add to the previous uncomfortable situation is the use of the overhead air conditioning blowing cold air not ideal if you have just spent a lengthily time sitting/ standing in a cold corridor. The provision of refreshments is approx 1 1/2 hours after gaining entry there is no provision of a hot drink prior to this time, apparently staff issues are a problem.

The time you spend on dialysis you are told should be comfortable and relaxing, seems in Monklands nothing is further from the truth, the constant banging of bin lids as articles are disposed of, the destruction of Cardboard boxes ( by jumping in them) in the middle of the ward feet away only from sick patients These issues have been brought to the attention of the management numerous times over the years but continue to be ignored, I regret that there seems a lack of interest.

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Responses

Response from Pat O'Meara, General Manager, Events, Scottish Ambulance Service 6 years ago
Pat O'Meara
General Manager, Events,
Scottish Ambulance Service

Head of Events

Submitted on 29/03/2019 at 17:09
Published on Care Opinion on 01/04/2019 at 10:29

Dear Bit519,

I am sorry to read that you have been having problems with your ambulance transport for your treatment. It must be very frustrating, especially as you are a regular user.

We do have to ensure that we use our ambulances in a way that allows us to take a reasonable number of patients to hospital and back in an efficient way, but we also need to make sure that patients are not having to endure lengthy journeys while we pick up other patients.

I would like to see how I am able to help you. Please could you call me on 0141 810 6101 so that I can look at how your transport is being planned and organised.

Thank you for getting in touch and please be assured that I am keen to help you.

Regards,

Pat

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Response from Fraser McJannett, Medical Service Manager, University Hospital Monklands, NHS Lanarkshire 6 years ago
Fraser McJannett
Medical Service Manager, University Hospital Monklands,
NHS Lanarkshire

Submitted on 01/04/2019 at 10:14
Published on Care Opinion at 10:29

picture of Fraser McJannett

Dear Bit519

Firstly, thank-you for taking the time to provide this feedback. I'm pleased that you've found the staff to be caring and responsive but obviously disappointed to hear you've had issues with transport, timings of dialysis and the accommodation within the unit.

We continue to work closely with our colleagues in Scottish Ambulance Service to ensure that any feedback is shared between our services. I see that they have received an alert to your feedback so they will no doubt provide a more detailed response to the transport issues that you've raised.

I recognise that the waiting area for the unit is not ideal. Unfortunately as I'm sure you'll appreciate, we have space constraints within the area. This is the only area large enough for our patients waiting to commence on dialysis treatment. Our heating systems are also fairly fixed but I can understand your frustrations about variation in temperature within the unit.

We'll look into the issues that you've raised particularly around the provision of hot drinks and destruction of waste in public spaces as these issues are potentially more easily solved.

If you wish to discuss this in more detail please contact Melanie McLean, Patient Affairs Manager on Melanie.MacLean@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk / 01236 713065 in the first instance.

Regards

Fraser

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Update posted by Bit519 (a service user)

I thank all concerned for showing there concerns re my comments , and appreciate where possible they will be addressed .

Update posted by Bit519 (a service user)

The response from both the Scottish Ambulance service and indeed the Hospital was positive . I therefore regret however that neither have made or attempted to make any changes whatsoever and every issue seems to remain the same this we should have expected as it seems sadly typical of Monklands when I raise any issues. The Dyalisis patients many in their 80s are still being brought to hospital to early having to wait 45 mins to be allowed entry to the ward, an extremely poor quality of refreshment also continues to be supplied the same variety for years. The air conditioning which has constantly been complained about is still in use for lengthy periods of time, not ideal when you are going through Dyalisis . The situation is very poor and is I believe is a bad reflection as to what the NHS Monklands really think of their regular customers.

Response from Fraser McJannett, Medical Service Manager, University Hospital Monklands, NHS Lanarkshire 6 years ago
Fraser McJannett
Medical Service Manager, University Hospital Monklands,
NHS Lanarkshire

Submitted on 23/04/2019 at 13:18
Published on Care Opinion at 14:41

picture of Fraser McJannett

Dear Bit519

Can you please contact Melanie McLean, Patient Affairs Manager on Melanie.MacLean@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk / 01236 713065 so that we can look into these matters and discuss them with you.

Many thanks and best wishes

Fraser

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