"Care on Fielding Ward"

I was recently admitted to Musgrove Park Hospital after suffering from Ventricular Tachycardia. I spent just over a week in the hospital's Coronary Care Unit where the care I received there was sublime.

I was then moved to Fielding Ward for a week to continue my care and recovery. I wasn't impressed at all here.

To start with the ward is cramped with little space to move around on A bay. The shower and toilet room is dirty and needs a thorough clean. Sadly the ward was riddled with COVID-19 infections during my time there and there was no encouragement from nursing staff for patients to wear surgical face coverings to avoid spreading. Subsequently, infected patients were regularly coughing and spluttering without covering their mouths. Nursing staff also wore face coverings nonchalantly, many having their noses exposed and didn't wear gloves when handing equipment to patients. 2 out of 6 beds had hand sanitising bottles attached too. No wonder the infections spread like wildfire.

Some, not all, nursing staff on this ward are very rude and disrespectful to patients. I witnessed the same nursing staff speak about patients in such a disrespectful and rude way to their colleagues, sometimes swearing and using hateful language. They would try to do this under their breath but doing this on the ward will, no doubt, be heard. I was shocked.

Additionally, at mealtimes the same rude nursing staff would refuse to use the patient's name when speaking to them or about them to other colleagues and would refer to them as Bed A3 or Bed A6. I witnessed one nursing staff member order their colleague to ask bed 4 what they want for dessert, despite the fact that they were stood a meter away from the patient and could have politely asked them themselves. Awful. To me some of the HCA staff on Fielding Ward don't look like they want to be there. I saw some staff show very poor manners and approach to helping patients, particularly those who have complex needs.

I was so glad when the time came for me to be transferred away up to Bristol Royal Infirmary and get away from this tired, dirty ward.