"I was admitted through A and E ..."

What I liked

I was admitted through A and E in July 97 with what was later diagnosed as a sileny heart attack and a broken right leg. The staff on Barnwell C ward were fantastic but when I was moved to Harrowden the next day i really noticed the difference. The staff did not know how to treat someone with a broken leg, in fact I waited 19 MINUTES for some help to go to the toilet. I had to be readmitted in November for further surgery on my broken leg, and was admitted to Barnwell B. The ward was overcrowded, not particularly clean, the staff were so rushed, there was no time for talking, just dolingout medication. The lady in the next bed was taken to the toilet and left there for 45 minutes, as the nurse call system is a light and not a buzzer and no one takes notice, or if they do, they are too busy. I was helped back to bed by the cleaner. Overall, I feel that the staff COULD do a better job if there were more of them, which is no reflection on their abilities. When I did recieve care it was orefessionally given. There was just not enought of it to go round.!!

The food is not of a particularly good standard. The menus could do with being changed more often.

What could be improved

1. MORE STAFF

2. Buzzers for nurse call systems

3. Better food

4. Cheaper (or free) parking. My husband visited for 8 days before someone told him that he could get a season ticket for the car park. A fortune had been spent by then