"Eventually giving up after 18 ..."

What I liked

Eventually giving up after 18 months of messing about with trying to get NHS treatment and paying to be treated in the private wing of Charing Cross Hospital - the contrast couldn't be greater. No wait time, clean facilities and good staff / patient communication. It's hard to believe it's all part of the same organisation but I'm annoyed I had to pay extra for care I should have received free in the first place - and disturbed that many people don't have the luxury of this option.

What could be improved

1. Hygiene - I've been to Charing Cross Hospital a number of times and found no soap in the main toilets - on my last trip there I found dried on vomit all over the floor round one toilet - it had clearly been there a while so the toilets aren't cleaned properly. When I've reported it the main reception they seem disinterested and several hours later there has still been no soap.

2. Hygiene - At Urology outpatients I pointed out to a nurse that there was dried blood and faecal matter on the wall next to the toilet and all round the underneath the toilet bowl. 6 months later at my next appointment it was still there.

3. Organisation - There is no coordination between departments on diagnostics appointments or any apparent desire by the staff to even try scheduling things that take a few minutes all on the same day to save patients having to go back repeatedly on different days. Most appointments work on the basis that the patient takes a paper record to the reception desk and they then write to you 2-3 weeks later to confirm an appointment, which you then have to re-arrange if it's not convenient. There should be a way of patients arranging the next appointment there and then to save further wait time.

4. Organisation - I've turned up for outpatient appointments on two occasions to find they've been cancelled but no letter was sent out

5. Communication - The communication to me as a patient on what would happen next has been very hit and miss - with the result I've been told by one medic that they would write to me after one diagnostic, only to chase them after a month or two of no communication to be castigated by a different medic and being told that I should have phoned a different department to make the next appointment.