"An extremely pleasant stay in hospital..."

What I liked

My 3 year old son had a VSD repair done in this hospital recently. From our frequent visits to pre-admission clinic (the operation was cancelled three times for various reasons), we had the impression that this was an efficient hospital. Clinics were well-managed and the staff were incredibly friendly. When we were admitted to Ward 32 for the operation, we couldn't get over how dedicated the nursing team were. They really couldn't do enough for us. My son was admitted the day before his operation, then had a brief stay in PICU - I cannot commend the staff there highly enough. They go about their business in a calm manner, despite the emergencies which presented themselves when we were there. The one-to-one care provided for our son was second to none, and we felt confident that the staff were looking after his every need. We stayed with him in PICU (which was an unusual procedure so the ward informed us), and the staff were fantastic. He was back onto Ward 32 after lunch the following day as he was doing so well, despite the fact that we had been told he may be in PICU for 48 hours. We asked for a room when we arrived back on the ward, and the staff obliged, as it was fairly quiet on the ward at the time. The staff were attentive, friendly, efficient and caring. At no point did we feel worried about our son's care - we cannot thank this wonderful hospital enough for their support during this very difficult time for us.

What could be improved

On the main ward, there were no adult toilet/washing facilities unless you had a private room. This worked fine for us, but if you were a parent on your own with a young child, it would be difficult to be able to go out of the ward to visit the toilet or to have a shower. You had to go through the security facility of being buzzed back in again each time (not that I am complaining in any way about the security!).

The parents' room was rather small considering it was catering for parents from both Wards 31 and 32. Unfortunately, when you get a group of people using a room, there are always those who will not clear up after themselves, and my husband got up early one morning, cleaned all the work surfaces, the microwave and put all the dishes away!

A water dispenser would have been a useful facility to have there, although I understand that financial issues are to be considered.

Anything else?

We were extremely impressed by the cleanliness in Ward 32, and the fact that a cleaner was almost always on duty. The cleaners were unobtrusive but thorough in all the departments we visited. Infact, the whole hospital had a very clean, bright feel to it, with the different colour-themed levels, and the cleaners were of very smart appearance too. Most reassuring in these times of hospital 'germs'.