I’m convinced that when certain staff members are unsure of things or simy can’t be arsed they put “data protection” barrier up. Folk are so uncertain of this legislation they don’t challenge it.

10-15 years ago it was pretty standard to have all sorts of staff in a folder at the end of a patient’s bed, and the medical notes and x-rays (as in big flappy sheets not on the computer) were often kept in unlocked notes trolleys in the corridor.

Yet the last clinical governance/record keeping training/update thingy I had (I R a nurse BTW) a few weeks ago they was a fairly ‘hot’ debate on just that, ie patients or relatives (in my case usually parents) seeing even food/fluid/BP/blood sugar etc charts, care plans and so on. I was suprised at how rigidly my trust seems to expect us to adhere to this these days: I wonder if there is something bigger/national going on with respect to this.
Also fwiw where I work we routinely ‘copy in’ patients and their parents to care plans and 6-weekly reports. In fact sometimes my reports are more like a ‘letter to the whole family’ which other professionals get to read too. 😀
In my previous job (community mental health nurse) I would frequently (but not always: it was an interesting job with a lot of folk who didn’t think there was anything wrong with them and wished I would leave them alone) CC the patient in when I wrote to GP’s about them.

The consultant who is looking after my lad was completely disgusted. The whole point of our visits was to use these charts for comparison. That he’s only 5 years old and that I’m his father and legal guardian seemed to go straight over this persons head – that she thought only the consultant and the 5 year old had a right to see it and not Daddy was baffling.

A few year back my broken ankle was missed by A&E.

I could just about hobble round on it, so went to the walk in centre (yes, whilst marvelling at the irony of the name and my condition). The nurse there had a look and was familiar with injuries caused by stupid middle aged mountainbikers who should know better. She said she couldn’t say for sure what was wrong, but I should get myself straight to A&E. I asked ‘is it broken?’ She replied that she ‘couldn’t say one way or the other, but off to A&E with you right away!’ Faur enough I thought, so off I went.

At A&E, they took a cursory glance at it, said it’s probably sprained, should be right in 2-3 weeks. Off I go, thinking this bloody hurts more than any sprain I’ve had before.

Anyway, best part of 4 months later, it still hurts and is still swollen, so after badgering my GP I get a GP X-Ray referral. X-Ray is duly taken and a couple of radiographers seem quite interested and after some pointing and discussion come back to me and casually announce that the X-Rays are good and the ‘fracture clinic will deal with you directly as an urgent referral’. Great, at least something will happen now.

Oh, but it didn’t, the urgent referral was anything but! After another week and Mrs Feet standing in the GP surgery and announcing she wasn’t leaving until someone says whats happening, I get a GP appointment.

I go for the appointment.
‘Hello Mr Feet, what can I do for you?’
‘Err, my ankle, the X-Ray, you said I had to see you ASAP?’
‘Oh yes, it’s broken, you need to make an appointment at the fracture clinic, I’ll fax a referral for you’

So another week later I’m in the Fracture clinic.
See a nice chap who seems to be the consultant. He shows me the X-Ray. 3 very obvious breaks!!
Luckily everything had stayed in the right position and since it had been so long, it was all knitting back nicely, so just need a load of physio.

Mrs Feet was livid and I have all manner of people saying I should sue them. Well, I’m just happy that I didn’t need a hideous op to put it right and, I missed the PITA of having a cast. I just don’t see how depriving the NHS of loads of £’s helps anyone just because someone made a mistake. We all make mistakes, it’s what makes us human (well, that and having opposable thumbs and the internet!). Shit happens.

All is OK now (except still get some pain every now and again, especially when it gets very cold) and it’s a tale to wheel out over dinner every now and again. I also consider it makes me a proper mountain biker, you can’t really be one until you’ve broken 4 or 5 bones in total!

Anyway, you can complain, but really don’t see how going after money helps at all, unless you need it to pay for care due to negligence.

Oh im not after the money I’m more going after a explanation and want to see somebody squirm because they’ve made a complete balls up. I know people make mistakes, but it was the total lack of any care and compassion and the I’m a A&E consultant so I know best not you attitude. Luckily as I’ve been walking on it, just with moderate pain and numbness and it has started to knit together and will require nothing other than a couple more weeks of rest.

I’m more pissed off as I wanted to get back to work next week, but that’s out the question.

I’m still not a proper mountain biker as it was sustained on the motorbike.

A Orthopaedic consultant was also in the room when I told My ward sister and matron and says its appalling.

Maybe if it happens next time I will visit the A&E department of my employers.

Although this is the 2nd time I have received poor care at Royal Blackburn Hospital, they managed to balls up a Para umbilical Hernia repair that popped out after two weeks!

I blame thatcher

I think what you are mixing up here is the concept of a “complete balls up”, with the idea that a human, looking at a grainy image, after looking at hundreds of other grainy images, (possibly) made an error of judgement that resulted in little more than you walking on a painful leg for a bit of time.

It doesn’t sound like a huge, obvious life endangering error, so have a long hard think about the situation…bearing in mind that you are soon to be plunged into a similar system of dealing with lots and lots of people, over and over again.

Consider the case that, on a drug round after a busy morning shift, you give someone a the wrong dose of medication… no-one dies, no one actually gets hurt, but it’s an error. That your colleagues are likely to have made. And you’re likely to make again if you remain in the NHS long enough.
It it a “complete balls up”?? Hmm, not so sure….

And as for

My boss is disgusted and told me to complain. Matron on orthopaedics surgery.

…

From my experience of Orthopaedic matrons, one would have expected no less…..

DrP

As usual DrP speaks sense…. The actual significant* miss rate in A&E x-ray is less than 1% (about 0.2% in my department), which I dont think is that bad. Especially if you take into account the royal college of radiology guidelines about x-ray reporting/reviewing which state they should be done on a high definition monitor in a darkened room with a quiet environment. We are a major trauma center and don’t even have the first of those never mind the others.

Mildred – Please tell me you are joking…. Surely someone stopped the orthopods before they tried to remove a L/R marker from your leg. Even if the numpty who saw you initially didn’t know, you would hope that an orthopod would have looked at enough x-rays to realise!!

*By significant, I mean would actually have had an impact on the outcome if ignored.

seems like a nurse getting in a flap about nothing – leave it to the doctors to sort out they do after all know a lot more than the nurses.

^^

And bananas are MUCH tastier than apples, but of course that wasn’t said or implied, either, was it….

DrP

Dr P I agree Nurses cock up to and some days I go home and think maybe I could of done this or that differently. It’s not a dig at Doctors, Consultants or the Nhs in general as they do a fantastic job like the majority of Health care workers including the Hard working Health care assistants.
However this is the 2nd time I have received poor care at Royal Blackburn. The 1st time was extremely poor post op care from Nursing staff.

Happens everywhere, not just NHS.. Dr here in Canada diagnosed my wife with possible ligament damage.. “come back when swelling has gone down”.. phone call a week later from the clinc saying she actually had a 10mm depressed fracture of her tibial plateau that needed reconstructive knee surgery!!

Have you seen the original x-rays yet? It’s just you seem pretty insistent that someone has made a balls up without anyone actually looking to see. When I broke my wrist I was told (years ago, I know things have improved) that it would almost certainly not show up and I would get a cast and come back for a follow-up to find it. Turns out it was obvious and follow-up not required but let us know when someone does get a look though. Preferably with a copy of the x-ray so we can all play spot the crack 🙂

Gonna see if the Ortho consultant has it tommorow on the system but I’d imagine he/she will just have the mri. I don’t even think my gp has the A&e report as its not on her system as she asked me to remind her of the date of the accident.

Just an Update on the last post. I did see my very first X Ray and you can see it clearly just below the fibula head. And the LCL was partially torn off it when looking on the MRI scan.

Have been back at work three week and wear a knee brace and get the odd sharp pain where the fracture sight was.