"Woefully Inadequate Care"

My mother has just had the recent misfortune of being admitted to New Cross Hospital. My first impression when I went to visit her on the ward (C18) were that it was well staffed. How wrong I was! There are plenty of staff, but most of them spend their time gossiping to each other rather than attending to their patients needs. Woe betide the person who asks for some assistance, for the story they are telling their colleagues about their night out is far more important than going to find a sick bowl for a patient! There are notices throughout the ward clearly stating only 2 visitors to a bed. However, this rule is only applicable to certain ethnic groups. Others are allowed 4 or 5 visitors at a time without any problem. Again, don't bother asking the staff to enforce this rule. We are all told by our doctors that hydration is important, but apparently this does not apply to ward C18, as patients are quite often left for hours on end with no water. I could go on and list several more grievances, but what would be the point? Even if someone from the hospital reads this, nothing will happen.