"The Good & The Bad of NHS"

My husband was recently admitted to the Northern General Hospital after having a serious accident. Staff in A&E were outstanding and could not have done anything better. They were caring and considerate both to my husband and my family. My husband was transferred to Huntsman 5 later that day after surgery and again staff there were excellent.

However a week later when my husband was admitted to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital for facial surgery it was a different experience altogether. When we arrived at the hospital we were told to take a seat, 20 mins later we were shown to a ward and my husband was told to choose a bed, he was asked his name and it was confirmed that he would have surgery later that day. He was then told that someone would be along shortly to book him in. After waiting an hour he decided to get himself undressed he put on a hospital gown got into bed and went to sleep, after 3 hrs staff finally realised that he was there and came to book him in.

Staff on the ward did not seem to have a lot of compassion for their patients, one in particular who actually told my husband she would have to miss her tea break if he insisted on having a dressing on his arm changed! despite his consultant being specific the wound had to be checked for infection every 48hrs.

That same day he was left for hours in excruciating pain due to a blockage in his stomach, medication that had been prescribed and should have been administered before his surgery the previous day had not been given. It was only when I complained and said he could no longer cope and needed to see a Dr  that the same nurse agreed to contact someone to come and see us. During the 3 days my husband spent in this hospital he was not offered a wash at all and came home dirty and smelly!!