"Treatment without care"

After being admitted to Torbay hospital for a heart attack, the treatment and care I received up to the point of the angiogram was exceptional. I in no way hold the hospital responsible for the complications I suffered after the angiogram, as I accept that there are risks associated with any procedure.

Further to this I accept it was an administrative error to be informed that I had bowel cancer which was not the case. As upsetting as this was, I am happy to accept that it was a mistake and am relieved to know that I do not have bowel cancer.

The issue I have is not with the treatment I received, but the lack of care and the attitude of two of the nurses towards me. In the first instance one of the nurses refused to allow my girlfriend to visit me prior to the angiogram outside of visiting hours. In addition, they initially refused to take my temperature during observations stating that it was "too expensive". They then moved me out of the sideroom and I asked to be put in a bay near the window, which they refused to do. They stated reasons at the time which consequently were untrue. I felt as if I was an annoyance to them.

After the angiogram I suffered an internal bleed which led to unconsciousness. At the time the nurse asked my girlfriend to leave the bedside. My girlfriend refused to do so and this seemed to annoy the nurse immensely. Prior to this, the nurse had been agreeable and attentive. However, since this incident their whole attitude towards me changed. I asked her why I had suffered the internal bleed and they stated it was because I had sat up too early, implying that I had done so of my own volition which was not the case. I was told by the consultant that I could sit up at 6.35pm and was helped to do so by another nurse. I do not feel that my actions in any way contributed to the post operative complications.

The nurse was no longer friendly and communicative, to the degree that on the day of my discharge, they completely ignored me and did not even acknowledge me despite attending to other patients around me. I found this very upsetting and distressing and felt I was a burden to them. It is because of the attitudes of these two nurses, I was keen to leave the hospital as soon as possible. I do not understand why they would treat me in such an uncaring manner.