"Northern General: Heart Ward – Chesterman and Kidney Problems - Vickers 2"

I had a heart attack at a football match, and was taken by car to A&E. The assessment was very quick by the nurse. I was obviously very anxious but I understood everything. It took 3 hours for the doctor to come and see me. There wasn’t an ECG machine available so they struggled. The Doctor said that I should be kept in the assessment ward for 1 night.

The staff were brilliant - even the doctors. My consultant was a bit abrupt, but once you got to know him he was great. I’ve been a diabetic for 37 years, so he alerted the kidney specialist, he said my kidneys were packing up too.

The food was pretty basic, was never hot, the wife brought in sandwiches. The cleanliness was very good, was cleaned twice a day.

The staffing was also good, it seemed like 1 nurse to 4 patients, this made me feel safe. I was well looked after, you just had to shout and they were there, especially at frightening times.

After my angiogram the results said my kidneys were strong enough. All in all after my heart attack the after care was very good, I received the GT spray and tablets and understood everything as it was all explained to me.

I came home after my heart attack, then I became breathless and couldn’t even fasten my shoes. My wife called the hospital, upon arrival at renal outpatients I had a quick examination by a lady doctor who was very nice. She didn’t say anything I wasn’t expecting about my kidneys. I was then admitted to Vickers ward for 1 month.

I was put on dialysis by Dr Fordon, he was the best one ever. He explained everything he was doing and why he was doing it. His bedside manner was second to none.

I wasn’t very impressed with the cleanliness, it wasn’t very clean. The nurses who I met weren’t as good as in Chesterman (where I was previously), everything seemed too much trouble for them, when I wanted the toilet I was always being told to wait. They didn’t even seem overstretched, I struggled communicating with them as many of them were foreign nurses.

I felt depressed on the ward, I couldn’t wait to leave, the patients on the ward were very old and poorly so it was very hard. It was also a mixed ward.

Upon discharge, the doctor discharged me but I was told to go back to hospital every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for dialysis. Since then I am now off this which is good. But I must also go to outpatients every so often for check-ups.