"I recently had a five day stay ..."

What I liked

I recently had a five day stay on ward 12, for major surgery. I was quite anxious, but from being admitted to discharged, I couldn't have been treated better. The nurses put me at my ease, the anaesthetist discussed the various forms of anaesthesia with me, and the surgeon explained exactly, what would happen, why, and how it would make me feel.

As someone who manages several long-term conditions, I am used to looking after my own medication. I continued to to this whilst on the ward, apart from painkillers. That's the right thing to do, as it's easy to take too many when in pain. This made me feel like a genuine partner in my care, something that is important to me.

This is an exceptionally busy female ward, dealing with some very unwell ladies. However, nothing was too much trouble for the nursing or housekeeping staff, and I was never made to feel a nuisance. Being a 'people watcher', I was amazed at how well the team worked together. They seemed to work like clockwork, but I know that's down to good management., and a strong team.

So, I would just like to say, if you are due to go to ward 12, please don't worry - I don't think you could get better care anywhere.

Thank you.

What could be improved

My only concern was the weekend visiting hours. 2pm to 5 pm felt too long for me. Also, another patient had a partner who worked 9 - 5 at the weekends. This meant they could not visit. It also meant the patients had a very long evening ahead of them, with no distractions from visitors. Perhaps it would be worth considering 2 - 4 pm and 6 - 7 pm?