"I felt well looked after from ..."

What I liked

I felt well looked after from the moment the ambulance arrived. The nursing care I received in the surgical emergency unit gets an A+ and I appreciated the attention given to pain relief. All the staff on the ward were friendly and considerate including catering and cleaning staff. Compared to my stay 11 years ago the level of cleanliness was excellent and very efficiently carried out. The staff also were careful about disposing contaminated items.

Before I underwent a sigmoidoscopy, the doctor explained the procedure and answered my questions. I appreciated having a nurse chat with me while I was waiting. The clinic also appeared very clean.

What could be improved

The food was dreadful! I am lactose intolerant and must avoid all dairy except for hard cheese and butter. Almost all the cooked food contained some form of dairy and, except for what friends brought me, I only ate salad - shredded lettuce, half a tomato, three slices of cucumber and cold meat or a hardboiled egg - at both main meals during my entire five-day stay.

I saw a dietician, but the promised pears and grapes never turned up. I had a jacket potato which was only half-cooked, was green inside and sprouts still attached to the skin. So I stuck to having salad.

If vegetarian, halal and wheat-free meals can be provided, why not dairy-free meals? There are plenty of us who are either lactose intolerant or have an allergy to milk. Good food is an important part of recovery, please consider including non-dairy meals!

Anything else?

I have experienced being in hospital abroad. I am also old enough to remember pre-NHS days. I also am aware that about two-thirds of the staff I saw were from overseas, something which the government should take into consideration when limiting immigration. With the exception of my complaint about the food, I think we are extremely fortunate to have the NHS!