"I received excellent care at Stafford ..."

What I liked

I received excellent care at Stafford hospital during my stay. The nurses, my surgeon, the theatre assistants, the A&E Dr and nurses, the porters, the food ladies and the receptionists were all lovely, caring and super efficient.

The ward appeared to be very clean, there certainly was a lot of cleaning going on while I was there.

What could be improved

I can't believe how understaffed the ward seemed to be for so many patients, certainly not enough nurses or healthcare assistants.

I think the system of having patients call the hospital on the morning of their operation and then have to wait for a call back is awful and surely could be improved. Having to wait to see if you are in is more stressful that the operation itself and I can't imagine how I would have felt if mine had been cancelled. There has to be a better way of doing this without putting patients through so much stress.

One thing I would like to say with caution, because I thought the nurses really were doing a wonderful job, is that I would have some concern about patients who are unable to ask for help when they need it. The nurses are rushed off thier feet attending to those who are asking for help. If there were more nurses and healthcare assistants then I think there would be much less chance of anyone getting missed.

Anything else?

I would recommend this hospital to a friend.