From S King.
I AM writing this letter to bring certain things to the attention of the public.
I have recently had to spend some time in the Jersey General Hospital. I had already spent a week at home when I should have been in hospital but I was too petrified to be admitted, as I suffer from agoraphobia and social agoraphobia. But when it became apparent that I needed hospital treatment I had no option but to go in.
My GP had informed the staff of my condition and asked for me to be put in a side ward, although I knew from past experience that this probably wouldn’t happen. I was put into the medical intensive care ward to begin with, where all new patients are assessed, and it was nearly midnight before I was settled into Corbière Ward.
Because of my condition I pulled the bedclothes right round my bed. The staff were not happy with this but I told them of my condition and they left me that way for a while and I was given my medication.
I feel sorry for the nurses who try so hard to go about their work caring for patients. They are under so much pressure that even if they have a patient who needs extra care they cannot stop to give a kind word or extra attention because they have so many patients to look after.
Then there are the carers, and what wonderful people they are. Even though they are rushed off their feet they always find time to listen to and help patients. I know this from personal experience while a patient in Corbière Ward.
I had a couple of bad bouts of depression and spent a fair bit of time crying and not eating and a lovely carer was a Godsend to me. She took time to talk to me, to reassure me and that was in between her other duties. These carers are angels and it seems to me that they are not given the appreciation they deserve.
Also the ladies who clean the wards and serve the meals are worked so hard and I wonder how many people think to thank them.
I cannot blame the staff for the way I felt during my stay but, to put it bluntly, I think that myself and other patients were treated like it was necessary to ‘get them in and get them out as soon as possible’.
If the Health Minister gave these staff a little more help, both personally and financially, then these angels could do their jobs with a lot less stress and so have more time for the people who count – the patients.
Address withheld.
