"Hospital stay due to planned hemi-thyriodectomy"

I was booked in for surgery in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Pre surgery checks and information provided prior was very good. Staff in the pre surgery ward (pink zone) were really friendly and appeared very organised. 

Theatre staff were all lovely, they accomodated for me being very nervous and I felt at ease by the time I was in the theatre room. They kept me well informed throughout. I felt they assessed my pain and nausea levels and ensured I was as comfortable I could be before I was moved from theatre recovery, up to the ward, 210 ARI. 

This is where my experience changed. 

I felt the ward was lacking in many areas. 

Documentation was very poor. My vital signs were recorded many times-yet I was never asked about my pain score-yet always recorded as 0/4-no pain. I was asking for additional pain relief. 

A patient in another bed was on a food diary chart-on my day of discharge there was nil input for the whole period of time I was there-I left after Lunch time. This same patient required a zimmer and assistance to get to the toilet-buzzer was out of reach and attached to the wall, and in the morning- as we were all asked 'one towel or two' as they were thrown onto the bottom of the bed. This specific patient was offered no assistance until nearly lunch time. When a conversation between two staff member took place infront of the patient regarding whether the patient had been washed or not. Good clue was the towels were still at the bottom of the bed and she was also still in her pyjamas-they spoke over the lady,rather than just communicating with her herself. 

Another major issue was cleanliness. Staff Nurse did all 5 patients in the rooms vital sign recordings with the dynamap, never once inbetween patient use was the equipment wiped clean, nor was any hand washing or hand gelling done.

On the morning of my discharge I went for a shower, and when I came out the lady in bed next to me said she was going for a shower next. I explained i didnt know where to put the wet towels and the shower hadnt been cleaned between use. Due to being post op-i wasnt fit enough to perform this myself. So i buzzed-shortly afterwards a Staff Nurse came through and leaned over my head and pressed off my buzzer. They didnt speak, so I apologied for buzzing and asked if she would remove my wet towels and wipe down the shower chair as the other patient wanted to also shower. The Staff Nurse walked off without saying one single word-grabbed the towels and never returned. Resulting in the other patient showering without the shower area being cleaned in between patient use.  But the manner of the staff member came across very rude. 

I am fully aware of the demand and pressures the NHS has, and that the ward may have been busy. But I was shocked and disappointed in the care i received and witnessed from some of the individuals within ward 210. Some very basic bedside nursing was lacking and i felt this needed to be highlighted.