The Mater hospital - Oh holy jesus!!

Freddie59 · 30-03-2012 11:31PM

cloud493 wrote: »

Yes but if doctors and nurses are underpaid. and or overworked, if you tell them they have to supervise clean up time too, not gonna be happy bunnies.

Why would Doctors and Nurses have to do it? FFS.:rolleyes:

yosemite_sam · 30-03-2012 11:36PM

cloud493 wrote: »

Yes but if doctors and nurses are underpaid. and or overworked, if you tell them they have to supervise clean up time too, not gonna be happy bunnies.

Underpaid Doctors? I know of one Doctor who last week walked into a car showroom and spent 200,000 euro on two cars

30-03-2012 11:54PM

yosemite_sam wrote: »

Underpaid Doctors? I know of one Doctor who last week walked into a car showroom and spent 200,000 euro on two cars

1 doctor =/= all the doctors.

The guys staffing A and E in the middle of the night are definitely not the guys buying new Range Rovers.

micropig · 31-03-2012 12:07AM

Not the dirtiest according to this 31/03/2012

"Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda has been ranked by patients as Ireland's dirtiest hospital, according to latest statistics from irishhealth.com's ‘Rate My Hospital' Service.

The Drogheda Hospital is last in a hygiene league table of over 50 hospitals, with a hygiene score of 51% by patients and their relatives who rated its hygiene standards on the ‘Rate My Hospital' website...................Of the 'big five' major teaching hospitals in Dublin, Beaumont, the Mater and St Vincent's score lowest on hygiene on ‘Rate My Hospital', each with a score of 63%, while St James's has been voted the cleanest, with a score of 69%"

Nothing to do with money, from 2005

Over 90% of Irish hospitals fall below acceptable hygiene and cleanliness standards, according to a major new report.

The country's 54 acute hospitals were rated as good, fair or poor in terms of hygiene standards in a national audit and only 9% (five hospitals) were rated as good, with 43% rated as only fair in terms of hygiene and a massive 48% or 26 hospitals rated as poor.

mikemac1 · 31-03-2012 12:11AM

Wards used to be run by nuns and nursing was a vocation

Now nursing is a graduate career with graduate salaries, clipboard holding goes on and many wanting to be a manager while the assistants get stuck into the real work that nurses used to do

Was it realy worse in the old days when a sister and her team ran the ward?

Somnus · 31-03-2012 12:25AM

That is f*cking disgraceful OP. I totally understand your reaction, I would be flipping out.

AngryBollix, you were saying is it the doctors job to clean up after themselves, it most definitely is.
I'm studying in the biological sciences field, and like healthcare, it's basic procedure to always take hygiene/infection control seriously. If you are using equipment, even disposable sharps or plastics, you should most definitely clean up after yourself.
Who else is gonna know exactly what you've been handling? They could come along without gloves and pick up contaminated disposables.

Regular cleaning staff should not be around medical/biological waste without proper training. And even then, I think it's the practicioners responsibility to take care of waste themselves. Unfortunately, there's people in labs/medical fields who will never understand the seriousness of the issue, and that drives me up the wall.

So I totally support the OP. Wouln't blame him for filing a complaint. And if he works in healthcare service, he most definitely has more insight into the field, even if it's not as a doctor/nurse.

Duggys Housemate · 31-03-2012 12:26AM

ctrl-alt-delete wrote: »

The creation of a two tier system is and always will be the problem.

Nothing to do with it. A&E is largely one tier.

And cutbacks my arse, health spending is more than double where it was 10 years ago, and the population hasn't doubled or aged etc. Its the HSE's fault.

EDIT:

and the junkies

Victor_M · 31-03-2012 12:42AM

AngryBollix wrote: »

How would you explain it? Particularly the removal of needles and waste materials for wards and A&E etc.

Is this a job or doctors and nurses? The hand washing aspect is their responsibility alone but the rest I'm not so sure about

I work in an industry where there are lots of nasty chemicals and potentially hazardous materials if not treated or disposed of correctly.

If I come across something that isn't part of my daily job, but I know its a potentially harmful/dangerous situation.....wait for it...... it becomes my responsibility, to either deal with it safety or contact the correct people to deal with it.

The unionised bull$hit attitude pi$$es me off royally about working in Ireland, its always someone else's fault/cause/problem etc.

subscriber · 31-03-2012 12:57AM

Dermighty wrote: »

I'm a bouncer...so technically I work in the private security sector, entertainment industry, the hospitality sector and in a customer service role. The fact is none of that means anything.

Just because you work in the healthcare sector doesn't mean you're a good judge of hospital hygiene standards.

What you saw was probably a hangable offense in some/all/most hospitals, just highlighting that unless you're a doctor or a nurse or a health inspector then your opinion is no better than any elses opinion.

So I work in healthcare but I am not a doctor, nurse, or healthcare inspector, my opinion is no better than the general public.

I have to disagree with this having studied hospital based hygiene and infection control as part of my course and my training for my profession, how would my opinion not carry more weight compared with that with someone of a different profession who has no studied these things??

Also, ALL health care professionals are trained about infection control and hygiene standards to the same level so why would only a doctor, nurse, or healthcare inspectors view matter more than a physio, speech language therapist, paramedic or healthcare assistant when they all work in the same building and have all sat the same course on hygiene standards??

Answer Please....

Duggys Housemate · 31-03-2012 01:00AM

subscriber wrote: »

So I work in healthcare but I am not a doctor, nurse, or healthcare inspector, my opinion is no better than the general public.

I have to disagree with this having studied hospital based hygiene and infection control as part of my course and my training for my profession, how would my opinion not carry more weight compared with that with someone of a different profession who has no studied these things??

Also ALL health care professionals are trained about infection control and hygiene standards to the same level so why would only a doctor, nurse, or healthcare inspectors view matter more than a physio, speech language therapist paramedic or healthcare assistant when they all work in the same building and have all sat the same course on hygiene standards??

Answer Please....

It doesn't matter where you work, his argument is a false argument to authority. The idea that only doctors can know about hygiene is nonsense, any reasonably educated adult can understand the issues.

jimmycrackcorm · 31-03-2012 01:04AM

subscriber wrote: »

Are other hospitals in dublin like this or is it just the mater? Today was the first time I attended a hospital in dublin so I don't know how it stacks up to the other hospitals??

If you were a native Dub then you'd be immune to the resident germs in City hospitals.

Doc Ruby · 31-03-2012 01:19AM

Wibbs wrote: »

It has a huge admin population, yet ask doctors on the ground how much paperwork they have to fill out. Daft. This is having a real effect on people's health.

I'll tell you what Wibbs, in Singapore they managed to cut admin costs to about 5% of what they used to be by making patients records electronic. In Ireland the gougers managed to turn a €7 million project with the same aim into a €150 million failure after 9 years, and if you think that was accidental you've another think coming (PPARS).

The Dutch spend about the same per capita as us between insurance and taxes, but they have the best health system in the OECD. By comparison we land somewhere around number 16.

And health is only the tip of the iceberg. By god I could eat fire.

delw · 31-03-2012 01:38AM

I was in Temple Street today with baby & have to say couldn't fault them, hygiene was top notch,thankfully

thomur · 31-03-2012 02:07AM

Have been down in the Mater 10-12 times in the last 8 years with my mother.I work in medical devices and if a lot of the Mater staff worked in private industry they would be fired. The old A&E, they just spent their time sitting in the cubicle on computers. Whatever you hear about health stats. 150 people on trolleys - with 30 staff, 10 mins per patient = max 1 hour to see everyone. There is no management there. I went down myself about 1 year ago, paid 100 euro, spent 11 hours in A&E waiting to be seen. When I asked what the story was I was told by some idiot nurse to
sit down, obviously been on some customer management course, I just left. Privatise the health system, current A&E system is a joke.
I will say, when my mother got into a ward, the nurses were good. Not as good as the nursing home she is in now though.

St.Spodo · 31-03-2012 02:10AM

My granddad was sick and in the Mater a few years ago. We were absolutely appalled and disgusted by the levels of hygiene in that place. I would go as far as to say it was degrading.

Son Of A Vidic · 31-03-2012 04:30AM

subscriber wrote: »

The stink of piss in the emergency department waiting room is enough to make anyone throw up not to mention the amount of junkies and prisoners from the joy across the road falling around the place either on a come down from some illicit substance or starting arguments with other patients and generally being loud, arrogant and annoying.

Quite naive aren't you? You should see some of the waiting rooms in New York or London. The Emergency Room is the frontline interface and the most common point of access for the public into the hospital environment. Unfortunately, patients do come in reeking of piss, covered in vomit or blood. High on drugs or píssed drunk and they often try to punch, kick, bite or indeed headbutt nurses or doctors trying to treat them. Indeed, this is not unique to Dublin or Ireland. So If you are looking for the Hilton, I'm afraid you won't find it in an ER. Frontline staff are usually too busy having to do 3-4 jobs at once. The smell of píss is the least of their worries. So get a grip and cop yourself on.

subscriber wrote: »

Once finally in the treatment area, I was seen by one of the junior (teenage) doctors

Not possible I'm afraid because before one even reaches a position of JHO, you will first have to obtain a degree in medicine. Thus you will be well out of your teen years before even reaching clinical practice.

subscriber wrote: »

who proceeded to examine me without either washing his hands or putting on a pair of sterile gloves.

I will admit, I've had many a battle with predominantly foreign colleagues regarding hand washing techniques, disposing of gloves and not using tourniquets between patients ect.

subscriber wrote: »

I also noticed a few needle caps (non sharp) just discarded on treatment trolley's after doctors had finished hanging drips for patients.

Needle caps? After cannulation, there are no needles required in establishing IV access, nor in starting IV Fluids. Starting an IV giving set with a bag of Normal Saline ect, does not involve nor require needles I can assure you. But I do appreciate you are a layperson, hence your obvious confusion.

subscriber wrote: »

On another clinical table, a doctor had finished treating a patient and there was a relatively small patch of blood left on the bed clothes.. Did he clean it up before the next patient?? You guessed it....

Yes, I did guess that the doctor was probably way too busy to even notice it. And no it wouldn't be a doctor's job to clean up blood. Undoubtedly though, the cleaning staff are probably equally over stretched and short staffed.

subscriber wrote: »

At the end of my visit I was offered an overnight stay for a minor surgery tomorrow morning but considering it wasn't immediately life threatening I declined

Quite remarkable to have such quick access to minor surgery, especially since you went via the ER department. Any day case list I have ever dealt with, usually involves a 3-4 week wait and that's only for private patients, never mind public patients. So it would appear that you are very, very unique.

Whether you are in The Mater, The Royal Marsden or The Mayo Clinic, hospitals are and shall remain the dirtiest and most contaminated environment you will ever find yourself in. Most people of course don't realise this simple fact. So OP, rather that bítch and moan about it here. Why didn't you march over to the Admin offices and voice your displeasure to them. Because you will find a lot of clipboard carrying, non-essential over paid bollocks going around in their power suits. While Frontline doctors and nurses remain dangerously understaffed and over worked.

I left the ER environment because and I wasn't prepared to put up with the abuse or violence that is frequently directed at staff. I have seen medical and nursing colleagues getting teeth knocked out and back at work the next day to cover shifts. Yet my Garda mate, was out for 4 months because he hurt his shoulder arresting a 13 year old. I usually avoid these type of threads, but when you read some of the clueless bullshít posted, sometimes you just can't let it go.

lisaface · 31-03-2012 06:54AM

OP, you've just described James' hospital! The only hospital I will not refuse to be treated in (i.e. the one I go to) is Vincent's ,although throughout the years i've seen quite a few misshaps there too, never as bad as the Mater/James' though.

OP, why did you allow the dr to proceed examining you without gloves?? did you not say anything?

Dubit10 · 31-03-2012 09:49AM

Ah sure once the bondholders get paid right.

Doc Ruby · 31-03-2012 10:06AM

Dubit10 wrote: »

Ah sure once the bondholders get paid right.

Throwing more money at the health system won't help.

gosuckonalemon · 31-03-2012 10:12AM

subscriber wrote: »

Im living in dublin on a short term basis and today had to spend 10 hours in the mater (public) hospital today due to unforeseeable circumstances, I have never in my life witnessed such a low standard of hygiene in any hospital or any other public health premises for that matter.

The stink of piss in the emergency department waiting room is enough to make anyone throw up not to mention the amount of junkies and prisoners from the joy across the road falling around the place either on a come down from some illicit substance or starting arguments with other patients and generally being loud, arrogant and annoying.

Once finally in the treatment area, I was seen by one of the junior (teenage) doctors who proceeded to examine me without either washing his hands or putting on a pair of sterile gloves. I also noticed a few needle caps (non sharp) just discarded on treatment trolley's after doctors had finished hanging drips for patients. On another clinical table, a doctor had finished treating a patient and there was a relatively small patch of blood left on the bed clothes.. Did he clean it up before the next patient?? You guessed it....

For the love of Jesus like, if you work in a hospital like, infection control is medicine 101 here folks....

At the end of my visit I was offered an overnight stay for a minor surgery tomorrow morning but considering it wasn't immediately life threatening I declined having decided to have it done when I go back to my home county in a few weeks and proceeded to leg it out the door, god forbid would I pick up some weird and wonderful disease.....

I'm seriously considering writing a letter to HIQUA after my experiences there today...

Venture to the mater if you must but you would not want to be sick going in there or your prob better off staying at home....

Are other hospitals in dublin like this or is it just the mater? Today was the first time I attended a hospital in dublin so I don't know how it stacks up to the other hospitals??

Do the part in bold. Now!

subscriber · 31-03-2012 10:47AM

gosuckonalemon wrote: »

Do the part in bold. Now!

i started this thread to voice an opinion and an experience I had. I also wanted to ask the members of this forum of there opinion and experiences of similar situations....

I am open to comments from both people that agree with me and disagree with me alike.... I have no problem with that.

What is achieved out of writing one random comment in the middle of what is quiet obviously a debate between the people of this forum telling 'me to fkuc off home''???

Its just plain stupid and illogical.

If you don't have something proper to add to the conversation, don't add anything at all thanks, so don't just come on here an make such harsh comments with no reasoning and no input the conversation.

That is the action of a coward, and I can guarantee you both people on here that both agree and disagree with my opinions will all conclusively agree that your actions are just immature and affronted.

gosuckonalemon · 31-03-2012 10:52AM

subscriber wrote: »

i started this thread to voice an opinion and an experience I had. I also wanted to ask the members of this forum of there opinion and experiences of similar situations....

I am open to comments from both people that agree with me and disagree with me alike.... I have no problem with that.

What is achieved out of writing one random comment in the middle of what is quiet obviously a debate between the people of this forum telling 'me to fkuc off home''???

Its just plain stupid and illogical.

If you don't have something proper to add to the conversation, don't add anything at all thanks, so don't just come on here an make such harsh comments with no reasoning and no input the conversation.

That is the action of a coward.

What is the debate? You came on here to rant about your experience of an over-stretched under funded health care system. Everybody knows how much pressure these hospitals are under. Do you expect someone to come on and contradict you and get the debate rolling?

Corvus Maximus has explained in detail what is wrong with your post.

You went to A&E, of course it's going to smelly and be dirty, by it's very nature.
If you have an issue lodge a complaint with the relevant authorities, coming on here with your exagerrated stories won't change anything.

31-03-2012 10:54AM

gosuckonalemon wrote: »

Do the part in bold. Now!

dirty hospitals? tell people to fcuk off home

highly constructive

donegal_road · 31-03-2012 10:56AM

I was never in the Matter as a patient, but I did have to make deliveries to the lower entrance back during 'the boom'.. and from what the OP describes, it is no different now to what it was then.. hygiene looked appalling. There were several large waste containers on coasters in the lower car park I made me retch when I walked past. The paint was coming off the walls, and staff stood at emergency entrances smoking.

One of the other places we had to deliver to was the new veterinary building at UCD. I know it ran into tens of millions to build this (the former site of UCD veterinary clinic in Ballsbridge was sold for €171 million for 2 acres), when compared to the Matter, it was luxury. Spotlessly clean, brand new equipment, very spacious, large brightly lit corridors with pleasant looking staff. It is worth it just to take a run out to UCD and have a look to compare, not just to the Matter, but any regional hospital in the country.

* I understand that UCD veterinary clinic is private

subscriber · 31-03-2012 11:03AM

gosuckonalemon wrote: »

What is the debate? You came on here to rant about your experience of an over-stretched under funded health care system. Everybody knows how much pressure these hospitals are under. Do you expect someone to come on and contradict you and get the debate rolling?

Corvus Maximus has explained in detail what is wrong with your post.

You went to A&E, of course it's going to smelly and be dirty, by it's very nature.
If you have an issue lodge a complaint with the relevant authorities, coming on here with your exagerrated stories won't change anything.

It most certainly not an exaggerated story and whether or not corvus maxamius decided to be picky and dissect my post and say that x doesn't go with Y when administering saline IV ect... does not change the overall lack of hygiene in the hospital and my experience.

Also what is the problem with coming on a forum and sharing an experience i had?? Is that not what forums are for?? If people did not do things like this....forums would not exist no?? And it wasn't just to rant as I wanted to ask about the situation in other dublin based hospitals as well as the mater?? Is was written at the end of my original post.

Any why couldn't you contribute a constructive point like this in the first place instead of making your first comment of the conversation to tell me 'to fkuc off home'' Am I not entitled as a tax paying citizen to use hospitals in other counties when I am away from home??

KDII · 31-03-2012 11:12AM

What did you actually expect to happen in this thread?

You say you want debate, but when you get it people become 'picky'. In fairness, if you don't like any Dublin hospitals and you have a local service you feel more comfortable with it seems ridiculous not to use it.

If you think the staff aren't acutely, painfully aware of the shortcomings of frontline health services at this time you are severely misguided.

You also have no idea how busy to resus room or majors area was while you were waiting. If you were waiting ten hours, perhaps a visit to an out-of-hours GP would have been a better option.

Bullseye1 · 31-03-2012 11:13AM

How in Gods name is it acceptable for any part of the hospital to be unhygienic? Your response of "go home now" is just typical of some people who will settle for this type of health care system until they need to use it. So by all means sit in your urine stenched waiting room.

gosuckonalemon wrote: »

What is the debate? You came on here to rant about your experience of an over-stretched under funded health care system. Everybody knows how much pressure these hospitals are under. Do you expect someone to come on and contradict you and get the debate rolling?

Corvus Maximus has explained in detail what is wrong with your post.

You went to A&E, of course it's going to smelly and be dirty, by it's very nature.
If you have an issue lodge a complaint with the relevant authorities, coming on here with your exagerrated stories won't change anything.

gosuckonalemon · 31-03-2012 11:18AM

Bullseye1 wrote: »

How in Gods name is it acceptable for any part of the hospital to be unhygienic? Your response of "go home now" is just typical of some people who will settle for this type of health care system until they need to use it. So by all means sit in your urine stenched waiting room.

A&E is mainly for

1) Accidents
2) Emergencies

By its very nature there will be alot of ****, piss, puke, blood as a consequence of accidents, car crashes, drunks etc.
These things don't just evaporate, they need to be cleaned, that can sometimes take a few minutes longer than desired due to understaffing etc.

Hootanany · 31-03-2012 11:21AM

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Quite naive aren't you? You should see some of the waiting rooms in New York or London. The Emergency Room is the frontline interface and the most common point of access for the public into the hospital environment. Unfortunately, patients do come in reeking of piss, covered in vomit or blood. High on drugs or píssed drunk and they often try to punch, kick, bite or indeed headbutt nurses or doctors trying to treat them. Indeed, this is not unique to Dublin or Ireland. So If you are looking for the Hilton, I'm afraid you won't find it in an ER. Frontline staff are usually too busy having to do 3-4 jobs at once. The smell of píss is the least of their worries. So get a grip and cop yourself on.

Not possible I'm afraid because before one even reaches a position of JHO, you will first have to obtain a degree in medicine. Thus you will be well out of your teen years before even reaching clinical practice.

I will admit, I've had many a battle with predominantly foreign colleagues regarding hand washing techniques, disposing of gloves and not using tourniquets between patients ect.

Needle caps? After cannulation, there are no needles required in establishing IV access, nor in starting IV Fluids. Starting an IV giving set with a bag of Normal Saline ect, does not involve nor require needles I can assure you. But I do appreciate you are a layperson, hence your obvious confusion.

Yes, I did guess that the doctor was probably way too busy to even notice it. And no it wouldn't be a doctor's job to clean up blood. Undoubtedly though, the cleaning staff are probably equally over stretched and short staffed.

Quite remarkable to have such quick access to minor surgery, especially since you went via the ER department. Any day case list I have ever dealt with, usually involves a 3-4 week wait and that's only for private patients, never mind public patients. So it would appear that you are very, very unique.

Whether you are in The Mater, The Royal Marsden or The Mayo Clinic, hospitals are and shall remain the dirtiest and most contaminated environment you will ever find yourself in. Most people of course don't realise this simple fact. So OP, rather that bítch and moan about it here. Why didn't you march over to the Admin offices and voice your displeasure to them. Because you will find a lot of clipboard carrying, non-essential over paid bollocks going around in their power suits. While Frontline doctors and nurses remain dangerously understaffed and over worked.

I left the ER environment because and I wasn't prepared to put up with the abuse or violence that is frequently directed at staff. I have seen medical and nursing colleagues getting teeth knocked out and back at work the next day to cover shifts. Yet my Garda mate, was out for 4 months because he hurt his shoulder arresting a 13 year old. I usually avoid these type of threads, but when you read some of the clueless bullshít posted, sometimes you just can't let it go.

:cool: Mater Private by any chance

zack01 · 31-03-2012 11:25AM

The Mater is a complete ****hole, i work around the corner from it and unfortunatly i had to attend for stiches in a hand wound one day, i signed in, the waiting room was full and yes it did smell of piss, i did'nt mind waiting as there were people there before me who i'm sure were waiting for a few hours, anyway i had a towel wrapped around my hand and proceed to play Angry Birds on my phone to wait my time.
All of a sudden all hell breaks loose, six wardens from the Joy bring in two headcases covered in blood, shouting and screaming and spitting at everyone, now these 'citizens' are brought straight into the triage area and seen immediately.
The ranting and raving continued for a while,you could hear doors being kicked trolleys being flung around all the while threats of 'get that f***ing doctor away from me or i'll kill him' were heard throughout the waiting area.
If i did'nt see and hear it i would'nt have believed it. After a half hour or so the two gents were escorted back out still ranting and raving, the six wardens still just about restraining them, they were bandaged up and brought back to the Joy.
Anyway i got to see the nurse after a few hours, got talking to her as you do and mentioned the incident that took place earlier, 'oh that's nothing, you should see it hear at the weekends, total carnage in here' she said it like shes used to it and did'nt really seem disturbed, so she stitched up the hand and sent me on my way.

So what i'm trying to say is, before we start slagging off the Mater or for that case any other public hospital just spare a thought for the doctors, nurses and other staff who have to work there for long hours and basic pay and subjected to that carry on.
They can only use the facilities handed to them, scream and aim the comments at the government, they are the ones to blame.

The Mater hospital - Oh holy jesus!!

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