"My daughter was admitted through ..."

What I liked

My daughter was admitted through A&E. Staff at all times were sensitive to her needs as a pre-teenager.

The paediatric triage nurse was thorough and very friendly, helping to put my daughter at ease.

She was treated with respect and was involved in all decisions about her treatment. They took time to explain things to her, and to give her time to understand and ask questions.

Staff were scrupulous about hygiene. I noted that before she was handled directly staff used hand-cleaning solution - and there were dispensers and warning notices everywhere.

The ward nurses on Moonbeam ward were polite, attentive and well-trained; nothing was too much bother for them.

The ward was very clean and was cleaned on both days we were there. The visitor's shower room and parents' kitchen were both clean.

What could be improved

The parent's overnight bed was not comfortable at all - the chair folds out into a bed. If you are even average height this is a pretty short and narrow bed.

A&E wait was quite long - but it was a busy time.

Anything else?

I would have no qualms about recommending the hospital. We were well treated, kept informed of what was going on, staff were attentive, friendly and well-trained.

I was particularly pleased that the on-call surgeon, having met my daughter and explained the procedure to her, remained to do the operation even though his shift ended and he was due to be replaced with another surgeon. That helped assure my daughter.

A&E was a bit of a bun-fight, but it always is. That is not a criticism of the staff - more a reflection of the pressure under which they operate.