"caring staff but lack of communication and..."

What I liked

Nursing staff mainly friendly and approachable, As my partner has been in and out for ten weeks they get to know you and understand your concerns and do thier best to answer the questions and get my partner what he needed. There are many caring indiviuals working on ward 31 and HDU ward 32 as there were on ward 29.

The comments in the next box should not reflect on the abilities on the staff team as the nurses were run of thier feet often not getting a break, the night shift being farsical with the number of staff they have to achieve all the care they need to provide on a busy ward that often has many night time admissions, and at times taking staff from this ward to cover an over flow ward.

What could be improved

Communication and speed of decsions made. I had to go through pals service to get information about how they were addressing my partners weight loss, having being spoken to as if I was a child by one sister on ward.31. ( this in the end did not spoil my oppinion of the rest of the staff team)

Issues where medication has been said to be needed by the consultant on the ward round in the morning and not being given and I have had to chase this up at evening visiting. Medication being perscibed in a liquid form and my partner still being offered it as a tablet.

Moving my partner from one room to another to accomadate the needs of another patient ( fair enough) but not cleaning the room he was going into, there was bodily liquids plastered all under the sink and towels and flannals that had been used still in the room.

Mens toilets being dirty and still being in the same state later on in the same day.

Ringing for night staff when in a single room and then they rush in and out with out the time to listen to what my partner was saying that he couldnt move and was scared.

Hearing staff say to a manager when are management going to realise when its dangerous to run so short staffed.

I feel sorry for the nurses and other staff that are trying to do thier best in such political times where funding is being cut and need growing and am ashamed to say that it was not untill this personal experience that I realise how bad it has got..

Anything else?

First of all this comment should be directed to the people that make the political and finacial decisions, I want to know why the radiology dept is shut in the evenings and over night and the weekends except for emergancies, where an individual on call can be accessed. Conditions get misdiganoised, doctors are after all human, but they would do better to listen to the concerns of the patients relatives, having been sent home with a diganosis of gastritis with no CT scan, as he was not deemed to be an emergancy, the night after I was back at A and E. This was the second visit to ward 29, admission through A and E and I to refused to take my partner back to my home, when they had control of his pain which was dibiltating (banging his head on the cubicle wall in A and E) My partner had a tumour in his bowel which had become blocked and he had to have an emergancy operation to remove most of his bowel, thankyoyu to the consultant on duty who acted quickly.If he had been at home I dread to think what would have been the outcome.

Other hospital, run 24 hour radiology and patients are able to access these services much quicker and through the night. My partner has since had complications and needed scanning and had to wait nil by mouth (having lost a lot of weight and no reserves left to fight with) all day and then to be told it may be the next day. A word of advice, if you feel you are not getting the services you need ask to speak to the ward manager, they will liase with the doctors and consultants for you . I am determined to look into the funding and managment of the radiology dept and have written to my MP and wont rest untill this situation is resolved