Keeping your eye on the ball

Sometimes I'm still shocked by how the NHS operates, and often misses the important point, that being to consider the patient. We hear a lot in the press about the NHS having to revolve around the patient. Don't see much evidence of it myself. On Monday Vicki had to go to into hospital, for what it turned out, was a review meeting. So a return journey to Leicester. If this had been scheduled for the following day when her chemotherapy started then it would have saved a lot of hassle and expense. During this appointment the Doctor says "oh we could have had this appointment on Tuesday". Really? You don't say. I wouldn't mind, but this isn't the first time this has happened.

Yesterday, when the doctor was doing his rounds, he told us that Vicki's haemoglobin was down and that she would need a blood transfusion. This was around 9:30. Vicki had just started her 4 hour chemotherapy session, so we figured the blood transfusion would take place after lunch. When the infernal machine started bleeping at about 12:30, the nurse says that she'll flush Vicki off, then take some blood to cross match, then get the blood for the transfusion ordered. Fair enough.

She said that she just had a phone call to make and then she'd be back. By the time I left last night at 18:45, she hadn't returned. So this either means no transfusion today, or more likely the transfusion to take place over night. As if having your sleep disturbed every two hours for eye drops wasn't enough. Vicki hates going to sleep whilst attached to "Bob" as she calls the pump, in case she's restless as she sleeps and pulls on her Hickman line and disturbs it. Again, this is reasonable, having already had one pulled out. But no-one seems to take account of this. They are clearly too many plates spinning, too many resources being spread too thin. So don't believe the hype and the sound bites, patient-centric my gluteus maximus!