"Overstretched staff but good care on Gissing Ward"

I was in for four weeks following an emergency admission and operation In August 2014. I cannot fault the care I received for all of this.

The nursing and specialist medical staff were always kind and caring and limited only by the fact that there were never enough of them so they were always overstretched.

The catering, cleaning and other services staff I came into contact with were, for the most part, similarly helpful and caring. I would like to commend them for their attitude to patient care.

The one point I would like to raise which disturbed me was that a lot of staff handled drinking vessels by the rims when serving them to patients. I was always taught not to touch the rim of any cup or glass which someone else was to drink from because of the danger of contamination. I think this is especially important in hospitals when patients' resistance to infection is likely to be lower than normal.