"I spent 6 nights in BRI during ..."

What I liked

I spent 6 nights in BRI during April 2009

I thought that the overall level of care was excellent but some areas could be improved.

Positives

Timely and efficient treatment

I was seen within 40 minutes of arriving in A and E and given a bed within a couple of hours. Medicines were delivered on time without fail everyday. Nurses showed due care and attention when checking wristbands and files for the drug dosage.

Responsiveness of nursing staff

Most of the nurses were always willing to help and responded quickly and postively to requests. They did everything they could to make my stay comfortable and pleasant.

What could be improved

Areas for improvement

1)Lack of information throughout the process

2)Lack of following a single procedure when delivering medicines

1.Lack of information throughout the process

This was my first stay in a hospital and I felt that I was not provided enough information about what would happen and when at all stages of my stay.

Admissions clerk – I was given my initial dose of medicine and left alone in a cubicle with no information as to what would happen next i.e. how long I would be there, when to call family to bring in personal items.

Medical Admission Unit – The registering nurse in the MAU gave very little information about the basic logistics of staying in a hospital. I had many basic questions that could have been answered by a simple leaflet or a quick chat/.

Eg How long before I see a doctor?

When is medicine time?

Where are the showers/toilets?

Can I go outside for air?

Doctors – I felt that the doctors I was seen by could have been a bit more forthcoming with information about the cause of the problem and the prognosis. I had to ask repeatedly for a new prognosis as I was not told when to expect the next one.

2.Lack of following a single procedure when delivering medicines

The NHS gets a lot of bad press for problems caused by its nursing staff. I think one way to address these problems is following set procedures.

My medicines were delivered using an IV drip. I observed a number of different techniques for delivering my medicines for no apparent reason. For example

•Some nurses would flush the venflan with saline solution before and after the drip whilst others would not. I found that if the flush was not used the next delivery of the medicine would be slightly painful

•Some nurses would replace the cap on the venflan with a sterile one after every delivery but others would not

I think the NHS would benefit from following set procedures when dealing delivering medicines which would reduce errors in delivering care

Anything else?

I thought that the overall level of care was excellent but some areas could be improved.

I would also like to give a special commendation to 2 nurses who provided most of my care and were excellent in all aspects of their job. Can you please contact me seperately so I can give the names of these nurses they maybe put forward for whatever reward scheme the NHS runs?

Finally a small but important issue - the mens toilet floor was never scrubbed properly and even after the cleaner had been you could see marks on the floor