"All the staff on the ward have been very friendly and welcoming"

Elderly relative admitted to hospital. My relative was admitted from a care home on Wednesday evening.

We were asked to take her in so that she didn't have to wait for an ambulance - I rang the ward to check that her bed was ready - the healthcare assistant (Suzanne) was really friendly and helpful on the phone.

It would have been better if she had given me her name as a matter of routine - I asked her at the end of the phone conversation. I like to know who I am speaking to - just in case there is any discrepancy later on and because it was nice to see the person I had spoken to on the ward when we arrived - it felt as though we had already established a relationship / some rapport with the healthcare staff who were going to be looking after our relative.

When we arrived it was really good that the nurse in charge (Caroline) greeted my relative by name. It was also good to see that my relative's name was already above her bed - it felt like it was already 'her' bed that we were taking her to. It was also good that within 5 minutes Suzanne had come to ask if my relative wanted a cup of tea. When Suzanne and Caroline were going off duty they gave us the names of the night staff - Jess and Steff - they were also lovely - very friendly and welcoming - we felt safe leaving our vulnerable elderly and anxious relative in their care.

All the staff on the ward have been very friendly and welcoming - this was very reassuring because my relative has a bad memory of attending the same hospital last year - although at that time she was much more poorly.

One thing that would be really useful is to have a summary of my relative's medical progress - e.g. what tests / investigations have been carried out, their results and information about any treatment started - available when we visit on an evening. My relative has cognitive impairment and cannot remember accurately what she has done / what has happened to her each day. The nursing staff are very 'nice' when we ask but have not been able to give a full and accurate account of the medical aspects of her care.