"I am a patient of Dept 4 on the ..."

What I liked

I am a patient of Dept 4 on the 1st Floor. Dept 4 staff are every polite and friendly, as are the consultants and doctors on duty at this department. Waiting times can be very long and it always helps when the staff and consultants acknlowdge this and take the time to come out and update waiting patients and re-assure them that they are doing all that they can to hurry things along.

What could be improved

As part of my treatment I require regular blood test. Unfortuantly the same cannot be said for the Blood test team (at the same hospital). Every time I have been for a test (averageing about 8) in the past 6 months. I haved found the staff very rude and aggresive. I have no problems giving blood, neither am I screamish. I am not generaly bothered about waiting times etc. However, on almost every occasion (as part of my on-going treatment) I have had to have bloods taken the staff have been very very rude to me, they have rubbished doctors and consultants in my presance and to me. On on accasion, I was refered for an urgent blood test from Dept 4 (i had been at the hospital all day, undergoing various test prior to my diagnosis). I made it to the blood test dept 5mins before the closing time. I was met by a angry nurse who refused to take the bllod sample and said i had to come back tomorrow, I mentioned to her that I was not late and that there was still 5mins left before the closing time and that my consultant had asked me to have this now, and he asked that i mention his name to the blood team, and ask them to phone him if there was a problem. The nurse replied back to me by saying that the doctors was an idiot, and that she doesnt care and has been working all day and has a home to get to, she then turned to one of her collegues who was sitting in one of the cubical and repeated this reply. i refused to back down, and replied that I was sorry for her frustration, but I had also been there all day, and was not being paid for the privalege. She carried on cursing and yelled at me to sit down then, and under her breath cursed both myself and my consultant. She refused to take my blood and her collegue took the sample instead. I was furious and had written to the hospital, but have to date had no reply. Every time I now go for a blood test there, i dread it and hate the experience. I only wish I had an alternative hospital to attend

Anything else?

I would appreciate acknlowldgement to my letter. And that may be the patient care charter is passed to the bloods team, Obviously the hospital accepts this as an acceptable behaviour, otherwise it would be continuing,