"Ward 12A was great, especially ..."

What I liked

Ward 12A was great, especially in comparison with the Medical Assessment unit and A&E.

What could be improved

My experience of A&E was not good - I was there for a long time, and was moved eventually into an 'observation bay', because I had been there 'too long' according to staff (presumably there is a target to be met, and by moving people the five yards to the bay this is met!). MAU appeared to be dirty, the staff were brusque, and the unit is misnamed - it did not appear to be an 'assessment unit', as people had been there for a considerable time. There were a lot of elderly people in need of help who were ignored a lot of the time, and the call buttons did not work. At a later date I was admitted again - this time to the gastroenterology ward - where I was in a bay with three very elderly women. Whilst there I had to remind staff about my medications, and I learnt to double check everything as more than once I was being given wrong doses, or not being given medications I should have had. Staff would promise to check things with doctors, which were then forgotten. The staff seemed friendly and nice, but I was truly worried about what was happening with people who were not in a positition to check their medications for themselves.

Anything else?

On a much more minor level - we were left for up to three hours after being woken before being given a hot drink on some days.