"back operation at Medway Maritime"

Excellent surgeon, disastrous post operative care in Pembroke Ward

If only the nursing and catering staff could have in any way tried to match the wonderful work of the surgeon, Mrs Mueller - but they didn't. Some of the day staff behaved in an aggressive uncaring manner with the exception of a staff nurse called Amelia who was lovely, professional and a credit to her profession.

All other members of staff who treated me failed to introduce themselves, left me waiting for up to 45 mins to get a bed pan and then left me on it for the same amount of time so that I ended up peeing into sick bowls in the end. Successive staff failed to notice that my drip was leaking straight out over a 48 hour period and so I did not get any fluids; failed to notice I had an allergic reaction to the morphine drip; failed to write down medication given to me by night staff; cut off my bracelet id tag and did not replace it; left me so dehydrated that my temperature went up and they could not get a vein to put a canula in.

If it had not been for my husband, matters would have got worse. And what a shame because I have supreme confidence in the surgeon and her team and am confident of a successful outcome as a result which will be quite frankly life changing for me. But what a shame that the staff who treated me in the ward were so poor. My husband saw a member of the catering team dishing up food with her bare hands. Amelia was a great nurse and very competent, calm, and caring. In my opinion some other staff were lacking in any kind of warmth. Some seemed to spend most of the day moaning about how overworked they were whilst chatting away to one another as if they had all day.