"I spent a total of 24 nights in ..."

What I liked

I spent a total of 24 nights in Weston General following a gall bladder removal that went wrong. This wasn't the hospitals fault, just a freak set of biological circumstances. The medical treatment I got from my consultant, staff and the nurses were top notch. I have nothing but praise for them.

What could be improved

The food is terrible, truly awful. The only bits that were edible were cereals and toast for breakfast or packaged yoghurt. Otherwise it was a cook-chill-reheat nightmare.

Better coordination is needed between the wards and other hospital departments to make optimal use of facilities. I was involved in long waits for ultrasound/x-rays which in one case resulted in a local anaesthetic wearing off before a procedure was performed.

The pay-TV systems is expensive and poor quality. I really object to paying to watch TV. Even worse is charging pensioners, especially those who are over 75 and therefore entitled to free television licences. The charges are incurred daily with no discount available for long stay patients such as myself.

Anything else?

Internet access would be nice as would allowing patients to use mobile phones - something which other hospitals now allow following changes in government guidelines.