Face it... there are numerous ways to abuse the patient, and one that I find more noticeable is when nurses are paid to be at work, looking after their patient, yet the nurses use every opportunity to get on the phone during their 'paid' hours to ring friends and family, and sometimes for an hour or more at a time. Night shift is obviously the most prevalent time for this event, but can also occur in the 'quieter' periods on an evening shift.

In reality, there is never any 'quieter period on an evening or a night shift, as there is always something to be done that would actulally benefit the patient or the employer more, and thus the health care system.

These obtrusive phone calls are obnoxious and should be dealt with as fraud, as the nurses are defrauding their employer, and thus the system.

Calls in the event of an emergency I feel are acceptable, but not the regular calls that certain people ( admit it! - you all must know someone who does this! ) make.

Business calls to organise staffing is also excluded from the hit list, or accessing mobiles for educational data.

The time these people spend on these unauthorised calls are time taken away from caring for their patients, thus is an act of abuse, in that they are NOT delivering care they could be delivering. They could make the patient more comfortable, by repositioning, face wash, oral care, back massage.  They could tidy the area, make it safer, cleaner, and even help the next shift.

Personal calls of an ordinary nature are what tea-breaks are for.

What think you?

Agree with u on this,it is 'open-slattthhher'in many areas.

First time I did a face wash 6.30-7AM the Pts could not believe it was happening.It was my 1st time @ this Ward..they loved it.

Adjust pillows,move covers up on them;get a warm blanket for them--under the sheet and see just how fast they gain sleep and 'thanks nurse'don't leave this Ward!

Mobiles: Yep at the start of all shifts the NUM or Team Leader should request them to be totally turned off,left in a secure place..get it @ tea times...how can u be doing a dressing and hv ur m/phn go off?

 Help ur RN too 'draw-up ABS' u learn..it hepls the Pt..ur Team gains

I agree with you 100% I find it rude, slack and down right in breech of their employment terms and conditions. I consider it a disciplinary offence.

In our building we don't get any reception with our mobiles so that takes care of staff bringing their mobiles with them on to the floor. But I have caught many staff sitting on the phone chatting away on the evening shift whn things are "quiet". What quiet??? I have told my staff if you have done everything and there is nothing left for you to do then I will cut the hours of the shift or take one nurse off the shift ( watch them get up and find something to do) There is always something to do. There are residents to toilet, take for a walk, reposition, talk to, give a hand or foot massage to. Get off you butt and work!! :)

We never get such quiet moments in our area. I can count on one hand the amount of times our unit has been almost empty and too many staff rostered on. It happens because lots of patients were discharged to wards. after ensuring there is nothing to do and stating to all that you are free to assist with anything they wish we usually read our emails. No not personal ones - work memo ones. They update us about policy and procedure changes; critical incidents etc. There are always so many after you have been on days off. I always try to close the doors of single rooms to ensure patients get the most rest possible. I remind other RNs to speak more quietly if they are too boisterous. ICU is a noisy and busy environment and the patients often do not get rest. Too me that is abusive.

As for mobiles in our unit we really don't make calls on the floor and those of us who have smart phones use the medical apps and calculator on them. I switch my phone to silent so I can see the number on the screen and if it is important ,excuse myself and call the number back from the tea room. I am tough on parents using phones at the bedside as it is not appropriate at all. They can go outside the unit and still make any non-essential calls and go through our switch board using the bedside phones for essential calls.

I used to despise doing agency midwifery and trying to educate a new young mother about caring for her newborn while she kept answering non-essential "girlfriend/gossip" calls like some fool teenager. I think post-natal depression has risen since women were permitted to use mobiles at the bedside. They learn absolutely nothing during the brief time they are in hospital; get home with this alien creature who cries and then they fall apart. It is more prevalent with social C/S in the private hospital system. It is rude to take a call whilst a midwife is attempting to teach you post-natal care.