Unhappy patient 'couldn't get out of Vic fast enough'
Gary Fitzpatrick • Published 23 Mar 2012 08:25
12 Comments
A DUNFERMLINE patient says he could not get out of the Victoria Hospital fast enough and has catalogued a string of complaints.
These included having to use his jacket to keep himself warm in bed because there was no blanket and having his blood sample lost.
Stewart Ferguson, of Inglis Lane, is the latest unhappy patient to complain about their treatment since the centralisation of services in Kirkcaldy in January.
Mr Ferguson told the Press, "I went into the new Victoria Hospital on Tuesday 13th March at 7pm with chest problems.
"At A&E I was laid onto a trolley bed for almost five hours as they had no beds.
"In that time I had a couple of tests done then I was told I might have to spend the night on the trolley because of a bed shortage.
"At 9.20pm an auxiliary nurse asked if I would like tea and toast to which I said 'yes please'. It never arrived.
"Just after midnight I was given a bed in a side ward with only a sheet for warmth.
"What a shock that was, the moths must have been having a party with it.
"At 2am, after seven hours in this hospital I was taken for an X-ray.
"I was then taken back to the ward where I eventually had to use my jacket for warmth.
"Three hours later a nurse appeared and told me I should have pressed the buzzer for a blanket.
"When I pointed out there was no buzzer, she said someone must have forgot to plug one in.
"I was then moved to an assessment ward at 5am for further tests. At 6am a blood sample was taken from me to try and establish if it was my heart that was the problem and I would have the results by 11am.
"At 10.30am, a doctor and nurse arrived at my bedside to inform me that somehow the sample had been lost and that they needed another blood sample but this one would be priority.
"When I complained, a nurse informed me privately that all the bad news I had read about the hospital was true but to multiply that by 10 for the correct amount of faults occurred. At 12.10pm the same nurse informed me that the test result was negative.
"I still do not really know what my problem was as the doctors seemed to be unsure but I never waited to see. I could not get out of that place fast enough. Even the food was inedible.
"All the beds etc. seem to be second- or third-hand and not fit for purpose and to add to that there is not enough staff to cope with the workload this hospital has taken on.
"The Queen Margaret should never have been downgraded and the staff that I had contact with at the Victoria agreed with me 100 per cent.
"The powers-that-be should be ashamed of themselves wasting so much money on a new hospital that cannot do the work of two."
John Wilson, chief executive of the NHS Fife Operational Division said, "All patients in A&E, whether in waiting areas, in cubicles or on trolleys, are under clinical supervision and active treatment is given where clinically required.
"NHS Fife does not comment on the care given to individual patients, however, I can confirm that Mr Ferguson has not alerted our patient relations department to his concerns.
"We encourage all patients who have concerns to contact our patient relations department at the earliest opportunity to allow us to investigate their claims and to enable staff to take the necessary steps to rectify the situation."
This article appeared in Dunfermline Press 23 Mar 12
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Geedoc
24 posts
Mar 23, 11:17
Report commentWhat a predictably mealie mouthed response from the NHS spokesman,,,,,,,,,You have the complaints...take a few hours of your very well paid time and invetigate them yourself Mr CEO.....It's not rocket science
Recommend?
Yes 54
No 3
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supersonic
242 posts
Mar 23, 17:23
Report commentThere seems to be an ongoing theme with 'the vic' and everything to do with it!
When are all these complaints going to get addressed?
Recommend? Yes 52
No 2
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******
Mar 24, 01:38
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Tradesman
100 posts
Mar 24, 09:23
Report commentHow long is it going to take before these incompetents in NHS Fife and Fife Council admit they got it wrong!
I believe they now plan to demolish buildings to increase car parking!
What next, Vic III to further increase capacity.
Time for a reality check NHS Fife, you cannot manage Vic II effectively or efficiently.
Time for new blood in NHS Fife and Fife Council!
Recommend? Yes 64
No 2
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******
Mar 24, 11:17
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******
Mar 24, 14:06
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******
Mar 24, 14:16
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******
Mar 25, 02:22
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******
Mar 25, 06:02
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******
Mar 25, 16:33
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supersonic
242 posts
Mar 26, 02:32
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Lass11
1 post
Mar 26, 21:40
Report commentI have recently been in the Vic twice over the space of3 weeks, and although it's a pain in the neck to traipse from Dunfermline, I have to say I had an entirely different experience. It is a sin that the QM has been downgraded, especially with the population base around the area, I agree strongly.
I was admitted via A&E as an emergency on both occasions and although I had to wait (as I would expect), I was treated with care and courtesy on both occasions, and was generally happy with my experience. Be thankful we're not going down the English route with the NHS.
Recommend? Yes 11
No 0
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Ooosh!
31 posts
Mar 29, 07:49
Report commentNHS.... if we looked at this seriously & realised that doctors are getting gross income of over £120,000 per annum (not taking into account locum work, self employment and overtime) and your average nurse get £23,000 per annum with £5000-£15000 overtime if they are willing to sign their lives away. There is a massive difference.
If the healthcare professionals who's wallets are bursting at the silk stitches would take a small pay cut for 1 year it would give the NHS more finances to fund more staff & provide a adequate service.
The worrying thing is that the Victoria hospital is nowhere near working at full capacity, the only part that has some sort of organisation is the WH Smith shops... I often think that if we lived like America where you pay for medical treatment, things would be a lot better... suprised NO!
Thankfully there is such luxuries as BUPA private medical etc where those more fortunate can skip these queues.
Recommend? Yes 1
No 23
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medicxg1
1 post
Mar 29, 12:39
Report commentSpeaking to a senior staff member in the VHK, I was told that with the closing of QMH and opening the new VHK they had lost over 150 bed spaces!! Hence why patients are being held in corridors.
A typical response from white collar worker who has probably never worked on the floor for years.
Fife is big enough to have two major hospitals with the influx of people to the Kingdom. To shut the QMH and deprive west Fife was a shocking decision. I hope those that made the decision never relies on it.
From an ex-NHS worker who has seen it run down over past 15 years.
Recommend? Yes 20
No 0
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onexscot
1 post
Mar 31, 22:21
Report commentI live in the USA and believe me you do not want to have our kind of health plan. If you can afford health insurance then you are fine. However the price one has to pay for insurance is almost out of sight. Many in this country refuse to purchase health insurance and when they get sick and have to go to a doctor, it is the emergency room they seek out for treatment. The E.R. is the most expensive way to be treated for a non emergency visit. Guess who gets to pay the bill for the uninsured, all of us that are insured. We get to pay through higher annual insurance payments. Some who have insurance but cannot afford catastrophic coverage can lose their homes and life savings due to horrendous hospital bills. The biggest cause of bankruptcy in this country is due to medical bills that people cannot pay. We do have excellent care for those who can afford good insurance and due to our Presidents health care bill that he signed into law some months ago, people with a previous illness cannot be turned down by health insurance companies, if you lose your job you will still be covered for a longer period of time, children can be covered under their parents plan till they are 26 plus many other good things that are due to be implemented in the months to come. National Health Services may not be to your liking but believe me you will not go bankrupt because you cannot afford treatment.
Recommend? Yes 13
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FifePatients
15 posts
May 6, 01:06
Report commentAnother example of incompetence and weak leadership at NHS Fife.
http://www.fifepatients.com
Recommend? Yes 1
No 0
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FifePatients
15 posts
May 6, 08:41
Report commentNHS Fife uses a number of Devious Strategies to silence patients (www.fifepatients.com):
-Delaying the response to 20 working days or longer
-Using non-independent managers to head up internal investigations
-Using vague and evasive language to avoid responsibility
-Providing minimal information or refusing to provide information
-Blaming the ‘system’ (e.g. the lack of a formal policy) as opposed to blaming a specific individual
-Using ‘communication’ excuses to explain away clinical errors e.g. ‘there was confusion over medical terminology’
-Fabricating the truth in internal investigations and correspondence to patients e.g. ‘I corroborated my medical opinion with colleagues’
-Inventing reasons to fit and justify past events/mistakes e.g. ‘I formed my medical opinion using these four criteria’
-Referring complaints to the weakest regulator, the Ombudsman
-Lying about future actions e.g. ‘the Board will discuss the issue at the next meeting’
Has NHS employed any underhand tactics against you? Share your story: www.fifepatients.com
Recommend? Yes 1
No 0
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kelly64
5 posts
Jun 7, 20:28
Report commentHigh time everyone in West Fife started to Campain and have Queen Margaret re-opened
Recommend? Yes 0
No 0
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kelly64
5 posts
Jun 7, 20:41
Report commentAlso time to look into the staff on night shift (6-6-12) in admissions unit 2, having said that, the dayshift on 7-6-12 was not much better, (taking their cue on from the nightshift I expect!) I have yet to meet a more nastier arrogant bunch, these people would be better suited in a prison unit, than a hospital.
1) A Patient is ENTITLED to respect when in hospital, and also to be kept updated on results/next step in procedures.
2) If nursing staff are asked by patient/relative for info on treatment etc, then this should be addressed, NOT brushed under the carpet.
Sad to say, but is it any wonder a lot of issues are at the vic when you have staff like this
Recommend? Yes 0
No 0
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