Priory Croissants I noted that Susan Boyle has been admitted to the Priory. Much is said about stress and its treatment. I have no idea why Susan could not have been managed with the Home Treatment Team in the NHS. I suppose stars are rather different. Then again, I am fed up of some aspects of the tabloids calling her the Hairy angel or the fact that she is somehow less than anyone else because she doesn't have a model figure. I often find the fake concepts of beauty in the UK rather disturbing. Susan Boyle is an incredibly beautiful person. I think journalists should stop judging others by their own fake yardstick of what women should look like. Beauty is not just by appearance but the entire package. There is nothing wrong with Susan - she is like each one of us - an individual and lovely just the way she is. She is the way we all look like in the normal world.
Anyway, reading a piece about the Priory reminded me of the time I worked at Priory Bartle Lane Preston. It was a bizarre place where appearances were everything. In reality, the food was good but it stopped there. Now that I am no longer on the medical register administratively, I can say that I was called to attend a cardiac arrest out of hours. The difference between a Private and NHS hospital - is this. The NHS hospital has a cardiac arrest team but the in a Private Hospital - you are it as the doctor.
This is what happened on that fateful day when I was asked to save a patient then discovered that the hospital had no equipment. It was about 7am and I was having a shower. Soap was in my eyes, shampoo in my hair and I hadn't quite woken up. A few minutes later, one of the nurses appeared in my shower room, had opened the shower door and was waving her hands up in the air screaming. This was a truly surreal experience. Not only was a completely naked but I didn't understand what she was saying due to the noise of the water. She mentioned " suicide".
I ran out, trying to wear some clothes while running, I got to the room of a patient who had hung himself. Not only did the place not have any ligature cutters but it had nothing. It was the only time, I dialled 999 from my mobile phone while resuscitating this man with my own bare hands. I gave him direct mouth to mouth resuscitation. I noted that he had turned blue/ then grey and the oxygen saturations were not improving with the minimal oxygen during mouth to mouth resuscitation. One of the risks of mouth to mouth resuscitation is that the patient may vomit blood and indeed this is what happened. Without a airway, things were proving impossible. The main aspect I focused on was that he still had a pulse however weak. Just that the anoxic episode due to hanging was the most serious problem and he wasn't breathing. If anyone wants to know about Resus, the Resuscitation Council is the best website.
I was told there was no oxygen, no rebreather bag, no adrenaline - nothing. While I was trying my best to resuscitate him, I knew I was losing him because there was no oxygen. The Paramedics were late but nevertheless, I tried again with them discovering that the heart rhythm was VF [ Ventricular Fibrillation] and that meant I could have got him back had we had some oxygen initially.
Everything was so delayed in that hospital. It was the only time I have never been fearful of the substandard care of a patient during a cardiac arrest. That day, despite working so hard on resuscitation, I lost a patient. It also showed that a doctor was essentially useless without equipment.
I added this lack of equipment in my statement to the Coroner. I was asked to delete it by management and was stopped by the hospital from discussing the matter with the relatives.I suspect the family have no idea that he could have been saved. And I think he could have or at least should have been given the best chance possible. I cannot to this day believe that the place had no equipment.
He is the only person I have not been able to save following a hanging. I have even saved a 77 year old in an NHS hospital with the same findings. The patient in Bartle lane was only in his 40s.
I did though instigate a mechanism where the entire staff ran around obtaining a resuscitation trolley, equipment and ligature cutters. So the material they have there now is probably the material sorted out by all of us following the death of this patient. So that's something.
After I left Bartle Lane, I tried to contact his relatives but sadly never managed to make contact. I am sure the Priory would be happy about that.
Private hospitals are great for elective issues, slow things that can be done over time. Emergencies are not their strong point. The above was hidden quite well from the world at large. I am sure not everything is bad about the Priory - the Croissants are nice, shame about the quality of resuscitation equipment. Actually, lets get back to basics - there was no resuscitation equipment and this was essentially unacceptable. The point is that emergencies do happen to Psychiatric patients and Private Hospitals are woefully ill equipped to deal with these. The admission fees privately go into hundreds per night. I wonder if those who attend private hospital know their failings. I believe the excellent Richard Ennals was the first person to expose the neglectful care in Private Hospitals. He wrote a fascinating piece about Private Hospitals.
The other issue I found out about Private Hospitals is their registration as Registered Nursing homes. It isn't compulsory to have the same equipment as the NHS. Regulation may well have changed since the early 2000s.
Anyway, reading a piece about the Priory reminded me of the time I worked at Priory Bartle Lane Preston. It was a bizarre place where appearances were everything. In reality, the food was good but it stopped there. Now that I am no longer on the medical register administratively, I can say that I was called to attend a cardiac arrest out of hours. The difference between a Private and NHS hospital - is this. The NHS hospital has a cardiac arrest team but the in a Private Hospital - you are it as the doctor.
This is what happened on that fateful day when I was asked to save a patient then discovered that the hospital had no equipment. It was about 7am and I was having a shower. Soap was in my eyes, shampoo in my hair and I hadn't quite woken up. A few minutes later, one of the nurses appeared in my shower room, had opened the shower door and was waving her hands up in the air screaming. This was a truly surreal experience. Not only was a completely naked but I didn't understand what she was saying due to the noise of the water. She mentioned " suicide".
I ran out, trying to wear some clothes while running, I got to the room of a patient who had hung himself. Not only did the place not have any ligature cutters but it had nothing. It was the only time, I dialled 999 from my mobile phone while resuscitating this man with my own bare hands. I gave him direct mouth to mouth resuscitation. I noted that he had turned blue/ then grey and the oxygen saturations were not improving with the minimal oxygen during mouth to mouth resuscitation. One of the risks of mouth to mouth resuscitation is that the patient may vomit blood and indeed this is what happened. Without a airway, things were proving impossible. The main aspect I focused on was that he still had a pulse however weak. Just that the anoxic episode due to hanging was the most serious problem and he wasn't breathing. If anyone wants to know about Resus, the Resuscitation Council is the best website.
I was told there was no oxygen, no rebreather bag, no adrenaline - nothing. While I was trying my best to resuscitate him, I knew I was losing him because there was no oxygen. The Paramedics were late but nevertheless, I tried again with them discovering that the heart rhythm was VF [ Ventricular Fibrillation] and that meant I could have got him back had we had some oxygen initially.
Everything was so delayed in that hospital. It was the only time I have never been fearful of the substandard care of a patient during a cardiac arrest. That day, despite working so hard on resuscitation, I lost a patient. It also showed that a doctor was essentially useless without equipment.
I added this lack of equipment in my statement to the Coroner. I was asked to delete it by management and was stopped by the hospital from discussing the matter with the relatives.I suspect the family have no idea that he could have been saved. And I think he could have or at least should have been given the best chance possible. I cannot to this day believe that the place had no equipment.
He is the only person I have not been able to save following a hanging. I have even saved a 77 year old in an NHS hospital with the same findings. The patient in Bartle lane was only in his 40s.
I did though instigate a mechanism where the entire staff ran around obtaining a resuscitation trolley, equipment and ligature cutters. So the material they have there now is probably the material sorted out by all of us following the death of this patient. So that's something.
After I left Bartle Lane, I tried to contact his relatives but sadly never managed to make contact. I am sure the Priory would be happy about that.
Private hospitals are great for elective issues, slow things that can be done over time. Emergencies are not their strong point. The above was hidden quite well from the world at large. I am sure not everything is bad about the Priory - the Croissants are nice, shame about the quality of resuscitation equipment. Actually, lets get back to basics - there was no resuscitation equipment and this was essentially unacceptable. The point is that emergencies do happen to Psychiatric patients and Private Hospitals are woefully ill equipped to deal with these. The admission fees privately go into hundreds per night. I wonder if those who attend private hospital know their failings. I believe the excellent Richard Ennals was the first person to expose the neglectful care in Private Hospitals. He wrote a fascinating piece about Private Hospitals.
The other issue I found out about Private Hospitals is their registration as Registered Nursing homes. It isn't compulsory to have the same equipment as the NHS. Regulation may well have changed since the early 2000s.
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