The CDU (Clinical Decision Unit … or as I prefer to think of it, the Casualty Dump Unit) is part of the hospital’s Accident & Emergency Department. I was ‘parked’ there just before lunch on 11th April, having been admitted to A&E at about 2.00am (after a wait of about an hour) with what I later discovered was a fractured lower right leg. (The two breaks - one in each bone - were clean and aligned so that they should not require pinning.)
The CDU is NOT somewhere to stay for more than a couple of days. It isn’t equipped to deal with patients for more than that long. The food menu in the CDU is restricted and there is often little or no choice and it is very repetitive. There is also nothing to stimulate the patients, not even a TV or radio.
The section that I was in had five beds, and during my time there I saw a regular turnover of patients. Many were from care homes or were living at home with carers, either family members or professionals. Some had dementia, confusion, and/or underlying mental health issues.
During my first three nights I got very little sleep as one of the other patients slept all day and then shouted ‘Social Carer’ or swear words all night. Another persistently tried to get out of bed, only to fall over after taking a few steps and pulling his IV lines out.
The day - and night - was regularly punctuated by tannoy announcements related to emergencies that were on their way to the A&E Department and asking patients and doctors to contact the main desk. This was not inducive to a calm atmosphere, rest, and a good night’s sleep.
By the end of the fifth day a care plan was being written so that I could go home, but implementing this was going to take a lot of time and planning. As I was immobile, a room in our house had to be cleared so that a hospital bed and hoist could be installed and visiting hoist-trained carers could be allocated. This process was going to take several days, and I fully expected to stay in the CDU until I was sent home..
I was preparing to spend another night in the CDU when I was transferred at very short notice to a normal medical ward. As a result, I had the best night’s sleep I’d had for days, and I was now in a side room with one other patient. My days in the CDU were now over … I hoped!
Your account reminds me of Orwell's "How the Poor Die."
ReplyDeletehttps://genius.com/George-orwell-how-the-poor-die-annotated
Bob, let's hope you get home soon. I'll recommend the VWC again as something to improve your spirits while recovering. If nothing else it's a good forum to have a good moan! We are all (mostly) gentlemen of a certain age......
ReplyDeleteNeil
I'm very sorry to hear this Bob. It sounds like the hospital has thoroughly mismanaged your treatment and that you should have been on a proper ward. I've spent a bit of time in the local A&E waiting for a bed to become free and know from that experience that it's not really a suitable location for anyone who is not fully fit.
ReplyDeleteI'd never heard of a CDU before and the description I found of the unit you were in says that the Clinical Decision Unit is for "lower acuity, self-caring patients or requiring minimal assistance and care awaiting for example, the results of investigations, completion of treatments or transport", which clearly didn't apply to you. Hence your "Clinical Dump Unit" is sounding all to accurate!
I hope that things are a little better now that you've actually been able to sleep (and presumably eat) though I fear that recovery will not be quick,
All the Best
Mike
So sorry to hear of your tumble - hospitals are not the place to be if your not well I've always found , hope your home soon , Tony
ReplyDeleteHaving spent some time in a CDU I can only echo your tale, glad you are out of there and hopefully you will be home and on the road to recovery soon.
ReplyDeleteGlad you’ve escaped, Bob. Wishing you well for the next stages 👍🏼
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain Bob. I had virtually the same experience when I was in hospital in late January early February. After 11 days I was exhausted, on my first night home I slept for 13 hours straight. Usually I only need 6 hours!
ReplyDeleteHope you get out of jail soon!
Thanks to everyone who sent in a comment about this blog post. My time in the CDU was amongst the worst experiences I’ve ever had. The under-staffed, over-stretched NHS staff have all be magnificent, but they are constantly ‘firefighting’ for over twelves hours at a time. They are exhausted … and many are having to do extra shifts or agency work on top of their full-time jobs to make ends meet. No amount of public clapping etc., will ever be the just reward they richly deserve.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Bob
Very well said Bob, I couldn't agree more.
DeleteGlad that progress is being made. Get well soon Bob.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as if you didn't have bad luck you'd have no luck at all! Sounds like a ghastly experience, still I'm glad things seem to finally be moving in a positive direction. Get well soon!
ReplyDeleteBob this sounded horrid, I am glad finally you have been moved to a better ward. It just seems system failure is on highlight this year more than ever!
ReplyDeleteBOB,
ReplyDeleteHope you can be home soon and are more comfortable there - it'll all take time and certainly glad your getting the rest and sleep needed. Best Wishes. KEV.
Yikes!! Hopefully there won't be a repetition of this incident. I wish you as swift a recovery as is possible. Hopefully you'll get a break in the other sense and be allowed to heal.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone. It sounds like a ghastly experience and not very good for patients. Glad you are out of there at least.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes with your care and recovery!
Have they not even set the breaks in your bones yet? If that's the case it is inhumane to say the least.
ReplyDeleteMr Pavone,
DeleteBecause the break was very clean and the bones remain aligned, they placed a substantial cast around the break. My foot and lower leg are immobilised and the lower leg and ankle will be X-Rayed on Friday. I’m hoping that the cast will then be replaced with a ‘boot’ that will support the leg whilst the fractures heal.
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
ReplyDeleteYou would think, wouldn't you, that in the 21st Century, one might expect humane treatment by the healthcare services. The medical staffs work bally hard, but of course the whole system is being maladministered by ignorant politicians whose mind sets are firmly anchored (a) in the 19th Century, and (b) at age ten.
Sorry - my loathing of politicians as uniformly pig-ignorant incompetents won't help you get better. And, of course, a run-down National Health Service won't supply politicians' lack of brain, heart, spine, guts, eyes or ears...
Here's hoping things start looking up, and you can get back your life.
Cheers,
Ion
The (only) good news here is that it's a clean break of the tib and fib. Hope you get a boot, they're so much better than a plaster cast. Hoping for good progress to recovery.
ReplyDeleteHiya Bob, I'm sorry to hear of your accident.
ReplyDeleteNo, youre right, CDU is a fine place short term but not for long term consumption - no doubt youll even remember it from the jelly baby hospital sim I used to do: you're there because you're there, as they say. Stay strong and keep cheery! and let us know how you're doing.
Keep well mate.
Russell
My gosh Bob what an ordeal. Really sorry about what you are going through. Hope you will be okay and hope your wife isn’t too stressed. Hope you go home soon. Best wishes
ReplyDeleteQuinn
Thanks again for everyone’s comments. I’ve not been able to answer them all, but they are greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Bob