"Not enough beds"

I attended A & E and was seen by the A & E doctor 3 hours later. I had Cellulitis on my left foot, unable to weight bear on it, swollen, red and very painful plus 36 weeks pregnant. I had to be admitted for IV Antibiotics. My Initial A & E cubicle was next to the toilet, so being pregnant I go more frequently to the toilet. I was able to hop on one foot to get there. At 7 hours after arriving I was still waiting for a hospital bed and told there was none and I would need to sleep on the trolley. I was moved to a different cubicle, which was around the corner and a "quieter" part of A & E, but the toilet was too far away for me to hop along the corridor too plus the staff I felt it was a shame to buzz the very busy staff every time I needed the toilet. At this time I was very tired and felt emotional.

I asked if I could go home to get a sleep and come back in at 7am to get the IV antibiotics, but told I would lose my place and need to start from scratch in waiting again. I was then told there were bringing 8 beds up from the basement for A @ E patients to sleep on. My initial thought was what was the condition and cleanliness of these beds? I was then told they could put me in a store room which was next to a toilet on one of these beds! The staff could not be nicer and apologetic, they advised this happens often. I was also told I couldn't go to one of the maternity wards as it was a medical condition as I thought maybe there would be beds there. I sat in the cubicle close to tears. ? I was told at 1. 15 someone had discharged themselves so I could go to the receiving ward. On my way to the ward, the porters had brought up the beds from the basement, I was right they were old and looked very dirty!

The care I received in the hospital was excellent, the staff deserve praise they all work so hard to provide high quality care.

The food selection/choice was not very good, the soup was lovely. I got a chicken salad roll for lunch, the lettuce had turned brown and there was no chicken but lots of mayonnaise. I couldn't eat it. I could not shower one day on the ward as there were no towels or have my bed linen changed. I was told by a staff member that if they go and ask for supplies from another ward they are always refused as there is such as shortage of linen. The wet room bathroom was a great size, however there did not appear to be a dip /slope on the showering area to allow the water to drain, therefore the water went all over the floor around the toilet and sink, this could be a potential slip hazard for the elderly.

The rooms were a good size, sound proof and I did sleep reasonably well. The western infirmary, the Victoria infirmary, the mansion house, the southern general are all closed down with this new super hospital accommodating all of these hospitals. Parking can be a bit of a nightmare, depends on the time you go there. overall this new super hospital, despite its size cannot accommodate the demand from most of Glasgow, there are not enough beds, linen and the food is not very good. The staff are very good but it appears the issues are very much brushed under the carpet by the managers.