But damn the Tories and Branson.
As I sat in A&E, at 7am, on Tuesday, doubled in pain, I look up and see the wait time list, 10 hours.
Now luckily for me I guess, I’m not here with a break, I’m here with internal pain around my stomach and gall bladder and having had stomach surgery I’m already classed as an emergency, and waited 1 hour. The lady next to me had been waiting 11 so far.
I was wheeled to the Emergency Surgery Team immediately for an assessment and after a short but painful wait, given pain relief and an ultrasound which confirmed my gall bladder issues but also picked up on my stomach stricture.
Now the stricture which I’ve had dilated three times previously, was taking priority, my stomach exit is 1mm wide, explaining the constant sickness if eating or drinking. I was advised I’d be staying in for further tests and corrective surgery at this point and given a room to rest in while they found me a bed.
9pm
I’m wheeled up to a new ward, my bed is in the centre of the ward at the foot of everyone else’s beds, packed in like sardines, I settle in grateful to have somewhere to sleep while I’m hooked up to an IV.
11pm
The lady to my left needs an emergency procedure and I’m wheeled into the corridor to make room so they can get her out quickly.
12pm
Wheeled back from the corridor to the ward corridor allocated bed spot. I find out the room I am in is designed to hold four people, seven of us are packed in, nurses squeezing rounds to do checks, take bloods, respond to alarms.
Everything you see here says NHS on it but most things are already discreetly privatised, from porters to security. Bought by none other than Mr Branson I’m led to believe.
There are two nurses on a ward with nine rooms all over full tonight, people requiring emergency assistance, toilet care, pain control, resetting alarms etc… how are they supposed to cope? they operate on less than 50% staffing.
The nurses despite these challenges are still calm, kind, friendly, caring and beautiful souls; who I am eternally grateful for during my extended stay here.
But the NHS is dying. Soon it will no longer exist. Please appreciate this treasure and try to support it and keep it going as long as you can.
My wait may be long for surgery but I will not complain because I see the hard work going on from those holding the NHS up, I’m not paying thousands for my stay it’s free for me, part of our tax, if the NHS disappears your tax will not go down.
Start a revolution, bring back our NHS, trust me when it’s gone and you get that invoice, you’ll know about it. People in other countries die because they can’t afford healthcare, do you want that for your children?
It’s now the following Monday, I’m still on a ward awaiting surgery and my condition is deteriorating slowly. I’ve some new neighbours and a new seventh person arrived last night at the foot of my bed.
I actually do wonder now if I’ll make it out of here. There’s not enough staff to keep it running effectively. They do everything they can it’s not their fault. It’s the government, the leaders, the bosses, the power and money hungry.
I want to go home.
Stop Walking on Egg Shells 