"I was admitted ward 7 via A&E ..."

What I liked

I was admitted ward 7 via A&E following an exacerbation of asthma. One nurse in particular regularly checked on me and gave me the impression that I was being well cared for. The actions of this particular nurse helped to relieve some of the anxieties involved with staying in hospital.

A&E was very good too. Not too long to take my details at the entrance, seen fairly quickly by triage nurse and good level of communication between myself and the doctor looking after me until being transferred to a ward.

What could be improved

On ward 7 I found it rather stressful and confusing to comprehend why, during a meeting with a nurse and consultant, the nurse smiled and acted friendly with the consultant but failed to offer me the same courtesy. This little observation led me to believe that I was a burden for the ward and that I was being judged for my ailments.

She subsequently handed me a leaflet and walked away without any kind words, smiles or support which did not help the situation.

I'm happy to accept that I may have over-reacted but despite the pressure involved with maintaining a caring approach, day in/day out, regardless of personal views, I think it's important to be aware of the ease and extent to which mannerisms can be analysed by patients and which can subsequently contribute to their anxiety.

In my experience, I already felt like a burden - I only needed a slight reason to affirm that I actually was one and the mannerisms of this particular nurse fed that need.

A little thing such as failing to smile or offer one kind word seemed like the icing on the cake to a bad day at the time and, unfortuntely as a result, I ended up in floods tears. Perhaps this could have been avoided???

Anything else?

Lights out on ward 6 was usually about midnight... followed by clearly audible talking at the main desk. This meant that it was fairly difficult to get a good rest.