"Opinion over multiple visits"

I cannot fault the staff on the Knox Ward, they were very attentive and all chatty and friendly. However, I would recommend for staff to be more proactive for children coming round from surgery by having medication - ie pain relief -  prepared, as on our first visit we had to wait 40 minutes of our child screaming in pain.

I feel that the ward/hospital itself is extremely outdated and could do with being brightened up for children like the corridors/outdoor areas have been. 

Following the operation, we had to stay on a ward overnight, after our son came round and was brought into the overnight ward. Here we found complete lack of care, compassion and staff who had limited time/resources. I found some staff members to be extremely rude, where it was not their place to be.

The ward itself was overcrowded and a very scary place for children to be. The noise levels were high and in general we all felt uncomfortable with the total lack of privacy.

I couldn’t believe how filthy the ward and toilets were. Had my son have had a compromised immune system like many of the children there, I would not have let him stay, for a general idea - black mould in the shower area, inches thick of dust that clearly had been touched in years, the build-up residue on the floors. For being a hospital for sick children and vulnerable young people, I could not believe it. I would expect a much higher hygiene standard and unfortunately this wasn’t shown to me.

Staff were not friendly or welcoming at all, having pushed the buzzer multiple times with no response it was concerning.

The discharge was done incorrectly, putting my son on a waiting list for something he does not have, meaning we have now waited months on a waiting list he wasn’t needed on and having now corrected that by chasing everything myself, he is now on the correct  waiting list with a huge set back.

After a follow-up appointment in the radiology department, again I found  staff more interested in speaking between themselves rather than the parent and child in front of them trying to check in. I waited until they finished their conversation and then it seemed that I was an inconvenience to them. The radiographer we saw was not very friendly or patient, given they were working in a paediatric department.

I will note the scanning rooms were brilliantly set up for children, with a TV etc to keep them occupied. The downfall was no toilet nearby without a walk when children had to use the bathroom and that there was no water available, which was particularly concerning given that a lot of children were sat waiting needing to fill their bladders to accurately carry out the scan.

The water had to be purchased from the cafe, again another walk away, and I felt extremely disheartened that some people who are already struggling with money, sick children and hospital appointments may not be able to afford this if they hadn’t brought their own from home. The least the department could do is supply a drinking water tap for patients.