"The hospital is very modern and ..."

What I liked

The hospital is very modern and clean and on first appearance fills you with confidence.

What could be improved

Being only a visitor I have not had or needed any contact with the medical staff. I did however expect that should I need to speak to a member of staff that I would be treated with the respect that I would always show to them. Good clear contact between patient and medical staff and visitors and medical staff would I think play at least some part in the patients eventual recovery. As family and friends often have small pieces of information regarding the patient that might not otherwise be available to the Dr's and nursing staff. My first contact with the medical staff was not good or helpfull for anybody and left me feeling frustrated and angry at the staffs total unwillingness to listen to anything I had to say. Thankfully my manners were on this occasion superior to theirs and I declined to respond because the patient was within earing distance.

When a patient is at home or in transit between home and the hospital I believe the welfare of that patient rests with the people who are looking after them at the time. And any decisions regarding the safety of the patient rest with them until such time the patient is handed back into the care of the hospital staff. On this occasion I took the decision to use a wheelchair to ensure the safety of a paitent in my care while moving the patient from my car to the ward they were in. Had I not done so and the patient had been hurt in a fall I can only imagine the reaction of the medical staff. As it was the reaction of the medical staff and the manner in which they expressed it was such that it left me surprised and shocked particularly as the patient had to listen to it all. Like I have already said I did not respond because of the patient being there. But I have tried to explain my reasons for writing as clearly as possible below.

Anything else?

Recently I was transporting a patient who had been allowed home for the day with intructions to have the patient back in the hospital by 8.00pm the same day. While at home the patient had become more and more fatigued and lethrgic and at the patients request it was decided to return them to the hospital a little early. For the whole journey the patient was being continuously sick and was obviously in some distress. On arrival in the hospital car park it was clear to me that the patient (and the patient was still in my care at this time) was by now so unsteady that they would have fallen had they had attempted to walk across the car park, gone into the hospital then negotiated a lift, then a further walk to reach the ward. Because of a medical condition I always carry a wheelchair in my car so it was decided to use that to help the patient reach the ward. Luckily there was a third person in the car who was available to push the wheelchair. On arrival at the ward the patient was being helped to get undressed and I was in the toilet washing the bowl the they had used when being sick. When I came out I was met by a member of staff in a blue uniform demanding to know "are you taking that thing away the patient has two legs they should use them". It was pointed out to the member of staff that patient was very unsteady and the wheelchair was in fact mine and would be going with me when I left, to which I received the reply from a nurse "Oh thats good you need it more than them" As I live in Bradford and am not a patient at this hospital I was very surprised that a nurse who had never seen or spoken to me before this occasion would comment in such an ill-mannered way on any medical conditions I may or may not have which would require that I need to use a wheelchair or not. I always treat medical staff with the utmost respect and would expect the same in return. On this occasion clearly I was not.