"I could see the cracks in our overstretched NHS"
This blog is written by Ann, a Just Treatment supporter based in Bradford.
My husband Michael passed away earlier this year, following several weeks in hospital. His story highlights both the huge strain our health service is under, as well as why the NHS is so important and must be protected.
Michael was admitted into resus at the Bradford Royal Infirmary at around 10.30am on Monday 1 January 2024. By 8pm he was still in resus, waiting for a bed in the respiratory ward. Neither of us had anything to eat or drink since we arrived. I reluctantly left him, and he said he was given a sandwich and something to drink at 10pm.
Finally, he got a bed at 4am the following day. He was on the ward most of the time in the High Dependency Unit until his death on 23 January 2024.
I want to stress that the staff on the ward couldn't have been kinder, and he was well cared for. The ward's sister was wonderful and really considerate, and care like this makes such a huge difference to patients and families that are going through very difficult and distressing moments in life.
Despite this, I could see the cracks in an overstretched system. I noticed that there was a shift rota on the ward to show nursing staff and care workers, and every shift had gaps where there were no people available. It is obvious from what I saw there is a shortage of both staff and beds on the respiratory ward. I assume this will be the case in other wards in the hospital too.
The understaffing in Michael’s ward meant that he had a long wait when he pressed the buzzer for help, for example with things like going to the toilet. I remember going outside to find someone who could get him changed - and I was told I’d “have to wait”. At this point, my husband was literally on end-of-life care. It’s not right for any patient to be left in that distressing and undignified situation.
Even when Michael died, we had to wait a while for a doctor to come and confirm it because she was having to manage multiple other wards. My friend’s son is a junior doctor, and he told me he’s responsible for the lives of about 100 patients at one time. This level of pressure is not fair on patients, and it’s certainly not fair on health workers either.
Through my own NHS experiences, I have also seen the quality and availability of care decline throughout the years.
Back in August 2010 I went for a breast screening. I went back a couple of weeks later and was told it was likely breast cancer, which was then confirmed a week later. I then had a mastectomy very shortly after. It was - thankfully - dealt with so quickly. Sadly I don’t think this would be the case today.
Then the following year I went to have a reconstruction, and noticed a major change in the service. During my first round of treatment back in 2010 there were breast care specialist nurses, but by July the following year there weren't any of these based on the breast cancer ward. The hospital seemed to have changed its policy on recruiting for the breast care wing due to budget pressures. Over the years we have seen the availability of specialist care rapidly decline, and this is such a shame as I know firsthand how important this is to patients.
NHS staff are doing the best they can in a broken system. I want our National Health Service to be properly staffed. I want them ALL to have a decent wage, from doctors and nurses to cleaners and porters. I don’t want any services outsourced, it should all be done through the NHS. It’s wrong that people can make a profit on people’s health
When I think back to COVID, and how millions and billions were spent on the PPE VIP lane and the botched test and trace system, it makes me angry. When are we going to get that money back? It should have gone to the NHS to look after patients, or to schools - in fact every public service needs more investment. It’s a lie that there isn’t enough money to fund our health service properly. The government has just chosen not to prioritise it - and no matter who wins the next election, it’s vital that this changes.