"Caring staff but too busy"

I had my second baby at the Jessop Wing by planned C-section. The surgery was great and the staff kept me informed and listened to my anxieties. Best of all I had skin to skin with my baby while I was being sewn up. On the ward the staff were very caring and their attitude to me was great but there was some confusion about my pain relief. The doctor's instructions weren't clear and I ended up on half the dose! I fainted in the shower and the staff treated me with kindness and dignity, and cared for my baby while I recovered. Staff just seemed too busy to notice that I wasn't coping and I once waited over an hour for pain relief - I rang my bell 3 time during this hour. Staff were always polite and said the midwife was on her way but it was only when I was desperate and in tears that she finally arrived. She seemed rushed off her feet. One night I had been to the toilet and couldn't climb back into bed because of the pain. My call bell was on the other side of the bed and I was the only patient left on the ward. I was there 40 minutes on my own before I managed it and no one checked on me during that time or for hours after. There was a clear view from the corridor to my bed and no one even walked past. The next morning I informed the midwife I needed my pain relief 'sorting out'. She took a look at it, had my dose increased and I went home that day. If only staff had had the time to do that for me sooner.