"Cleanliness standards need raising"

Anything else?

The positives: Surgeon and the theatre team were absolutely first class. Surgeon was clear, explaining everything very well (including comprehensive information at the initial outpatient meeting several months ago). Likewise, the staff in theatre including the anaesthetist were very professional and patient-friendly giving me no reason at all to have any doubts in their professional abilities. They also took time to clearly explain what was going to happen to me. The negatives: Waiting area: I had to be there for 7am but I had to wait around for over 5 hours (being told very little ) in a grubby waiting room that smelt decidedly unclean. Given the nature of my operation/high infection risk due to my imminent wound site, I took great care to have an extra OCD standard bath and shower at home that morning. However after over 5 hours in the very stuffy, hot and dirty waiting room I felt almost as grubby as the chairs in there. Post op ward was not a pleasant experience. However, ward staff were friendly, polite and pleasant at all times. I found the ward very dirty. The toilets had faeces crusted on them and there was no way in this world that I would have sat on these toilets. I did not like the flip signs that made the loos male or female and women and men were only separated by bays which is not ideal. The ward itself was hot, stuffy and very shabby (especially the bathrooms). My main concern about Wd was the lack of basic common sense care. I do not blame the nurses as they were very busy (I work in the NHS myself and appreciate only too well the pressures that they are under to meet targets) and their time is not freed up to actually care. The "Care around the Clock" system was pointless as my clock remained at 6:00pm for the whole time I was there. My first night was grim. I was in a lot of pain and sick from morphine. I had to be catheterised. The catheter mechanism broke as this was taking place and I felt warm urine on my legs and was worried that it was near my wound site. Unfortunately as the nurse was dealing with this at silly o'clock, the patient next to me crashed backwards in a dead fall through my curtains requiring immediate attention. The nurses were all prompt in aiding this lady. They needed a pillow for the fallen lady so I offered mine, which they put on the floor to help the lady and then gave the pillow straight back to me (not exactly hygienic) . Following this, the nurse catheterising me apologised and said she needed to change my sheets. She then tried to roll me on the clean bit of the bed but I had to ask her to spray and wipe my legs with my own Dettol spray before moving me. The soiled sheets were still in a ball on my chair when I went home the next evening. I had to stop a nurse giving me oral NSAIDs by saying I hadn't eaten for 31 hours. Patient opposite me had to wait far too long to get her leaking colostomy bag changed. Unpleasant for her and others. So glad to get home and get clean.