"Observations from patient's bedspace. Hopefully..."

My earlier comments/review was aimed explicitly at commending your ward staff. I forebore to add comments about other aspects so now offer comments on ward procedures and on behalf of your so admirable ward staff (as experienced in Kings C2 ward post-surgery during recovery procedures over 4 days from 8 July 15). Having watched from my bed space I would like to record my observation of routine procedures: 1. Without fail, as soon as a bed was vacated cleaning staff thoroughly cleaned the mattress and bed structure before the bed was remade and, soon, reoccupied. 2. Bedding was changed every day as individual patients 'sat out'. Inevitably perfoming bodily functions in bed made soiling likely. 3. So these procedures in addition to regular floor cleaning make good contributions to control and reduction of hospital infection hazards. I am not a hygienist but an engineer who can equally detect and appreciate ordered working and attention to detail. Regretably I have some negative comments: 4. The toilet facilities for patient use have a Heath-Robinson arrangement to raise the seat level, namely a stack of additional 'seats'. Increased height is necessary for patients who have had leg surgery as they cannot easily sit on a regular height bowl. This stacking of seats is compatible with female anatomy but not male as one does not confine their discharges totally on one axis, having a horizontal component in addition to vertical. Result - wet floors. Less than hygenic? 5. Short conversations with staff as they worked produced some rueful comments and one plea which I promised to convey. They feel that despite representations to management 'nothing ever changes'. Maybe, specifics not sought by me. Union support was thought to be ineffective beyond giving copious advice but being otherwise ineffective. They are dismayed that communications from 'the top' are conveyed down for action without any visibilty of management on the ward floor level. They are seeking informal collaborative contact, person to person, not confrontational. Makes good staff relations sense to me. I hope that the WHH management and governance board members are made aware of these reviews. If not what purpose have they? If this is not the appropriate channel for these comments please let me know and I will write and distribute more formally. John Parks. (For the record CEng, PhD, MIET. And, hopefully, useful human being.)