"Overall there is a very friendly..."

What I liked

Overall there is a very friendly atmosphere on the ward. Most of the nurses are chatty, polite, have a sense of humour and appear happy to make conversation. Sadly I cannot say that it is the case for all of them. I wish I could , but some of them are very cold-hearted, abrupt and unfeeling.

What could be improved

Communication between doctors and nurses, and patients and relatives. There is a very, very serious lack of communication in this hospital. Nobody seems to know what anyone is doing. I have had to write three complaint letters. Each time I was told that I would receive a full reply within five working days, that has never happened. Eventually, after involving my MP, I received a 6-page response to my letters, which is full of lies, incorrect information and facts which have been completely twisted and distorted.

More attention could be paid to patients' needs and requirements. On one evening, while visiting my mother, I could hear a patient in the next bay shouting for the toilet for almost one hour. Nobody came to attend to her. Such treatment is pathetic.

The food could be greatly improved. On the very rare occasion that I happened to visit my mother during mealtime, the food did not look appetising at all. I always had to ask what it was supposed to be and, not intending to be offensive, I don't think I would have given that to my dog if I had one.

Anything else?

Be careful of some of the nurses. They especially like to come in and out of the ward when visitors are there, or sit pretending to read newspapers when they are really eavesdropping on private conversations. I know this to be true because during one visit I was passing a comment to another patient's visitor and a nurse who was behind a curtain immediately rushed out and shouted at me, telling me that I should not be saying such things to other people. What I was saying was true, it was was private and was in confidence so she had absolutely no right to be listening, let alone shout at me in public. Such people are in the wrong job.