"The crucial care was excellent!"

I broke my ankle on a walk. From the arrival of the air ambulance (in 15 minutes!) to the recovery period in the ward the care from and competence of the staff who dealt with me ~ the paramedics, A&E nurses, the anaesthetists, the surgeon, most of the ward staff ~ was excellent. In the ward (Sharp), the daytime staff seemed, mostly, to be better than the night staff who were well meaning but occasionally clumsy,insensitive and often noisy. Some of the junior staff could be officious and quick to chide patients ( who were 40 to 60 odd years older) for not doing as instructed rather than ask and listen why. The discharge procedure was chaotic with, apparently, no one responsible for co-ordinating the various departments involved e.g. physiotherapy, pharmacy, transport etc. This led to me having to stay an extra night unnecessarily thereby "blocking" a much needed bed. Finally, can I suggest that the management consult the medical staff (at all levels and especially the lower to middle ranks) on where improvements can be made. Some I have spoken to (at Treliske as well), troubled by the amount of waste, have valuable suggestions on where savings could be made. This would have the added benefit of making the staff feel valued too. It is clear that the system is under great strain and relies heavily on the dedication of the heroic medical staff.