"The doctors and operating staff ..."

What I liked

The doctors and operating staff were very good and my c-section operation was actually a pleasant experience.

What could be improved

Professionalism: A nurse told me she was taking my baby down stairs. When I asked what for, I was answered with a gruff "huh?". On repeating the question, she told me he had to have antibiotics again like he did yesterday. As he had only been born that day and I hadn't been there the day before this came as a bit of a surprise, but before I could query this another nurse shouted over that she had the wrong person.

Luckily I was told my catheter would be in place for 24 hours as a nurse came in 12 hours after it was put in and told me she was removing it. When I queried this, she asked when I had had the operation and went off to double check and came back to apologise about them getting 1:00 am mixed up with 1:00 p.m.

After these two incidents I was afraid to go to sleep and spent the three days in there awake.

I couldn't make myself understood by the lady taking dinner orders, although I normally have no problem being understood, and gave up in the end.

General attitude and helpfulness: I found the majority of nurses very sullen and heavy handed. I was made to feel like I had asked for a huge favour and glared at when I asked a nurse to change my baby's nappy as it hadn't been changed for many hours. As I was bed-ridden after a c-section on my first night there I was unable to do it myself. Food and water were left on a side table and I had to spend about five minutes painfully inching my way over to get at them.

I was told that I would get pain killers every four hours but was left without any the first night and on requesting some about 6 hours after the first ones I got the next day I was answered with a gruff "You've already had some today haven't you?"

Efficiency: On the day I was discharged I was moved to an empty ward at midday that was off the radar to nurses and the refreshment trolley and was left waiting there till after 7pm.

Cleanliness: I did not see anything cleaned in my cubicle in the three days I was in there.

Anything else?

In Jan 2008 I was back as a visitor to visit someone in a general ward and their experience was no better than mine. The nurses were intimidating and the ward was dirty.

In 2009 we took our son as an outpatient to the childrens ward which was very efficient, had lovely, professional, caring staff and was like a different hospital altogether.