"Most awful hospital experience "

I was utterly traumatised by my experience at this hospital when I had to have major abdominal surgery under an oncologist. My surgeon was exceptional but sadly I expect has no knowledge of the lack of nursing care when consultants are not there.

With one or two exceptions the Health Care Assistants were horrific - neither offering any help in health, no care, and no assistance. They spent most of their time standing about gossiping. Elderly vulnerable patients were treated horrifically, without respect, left to wet their beds, unfed and uncared for.

Rarely saw a nurse they floated in for drug rounds and consultant rounds when they’d act like they knew about patients health when in reality they didn’t know our names even after 10 days.

From the moment I arrived for major surgery it was utter chaos: with nobody about to greet me, being told to change into theatre gown in a public toilet, no bed available and long delays.

4 out of 4 of us in our bay needed help to get up to start with. It was not there. Buzzers were rarely answered. It was left to us to try and help each other although our mobility was very limited so our ability to help each other when we could barely get up ourselves.

I have personally never felt so uncared for in my life. I have never been so scared because my day to day health was in the lands of people that were only concerned with ticking boxes. And watching the horrific lack of care towards others was even worse.

The paperwork said the ward offers an “enhanced” hysterectomy recovery programme. I can confirm without question that it does not even provide a basic one.

Sort this out NHS. This was pre-covid so is nothing to do with difficulties that might have been caused subsequently as a result if the pandemic.

Nobody would want their elderly relatives on this ward. Nobody would want their wife, mother or daughter on this ward. My advice to anyone having to go there is be prepared to monitor your own health, ensure you have help from outside and an external support system. You’ll need it. There were two excellent health care assistants - cross everything you have they are assigned to your bay.

Please note: Everyone in my bay felt the same way. Visitors for all four of us felt the same way. Visitors were likewise appalled at the absence of care, nursing staff, support, etc.