"Ward 3D"

My precious dad was admitted to Whiston hospital and they carried out various tests to try to establish the problem, and after a week in hospital I was told the problem was cancer and this began the whole nightmare.

To begin I would like to say that the nurses were brilliant on ward 3d, they are hard working, caring and are clearly compassionate about their work.

But overall I am unhappy with the treatment that my dad received on ward 3d due to the following:-

1, Myself and my dad were both told that he had terminal cancer and was going to die within a couple of short weeks when I was on my own, I went into shock and didn't take anything else in.

I understand that consultants have to be honest with the outlook but I totally disagree that this information should be provided to the dying person without the family being consulted - as some people can take this news extremely badly and lose the will to live.

Looking back we should have been called in and told as family - we could all ask our own individual questions and provide support to each other (although for a couple of days before this nurses were saying prepare for the worst - so they surely knew days before I was informed).

2, The cancer that my dad had was rare and aggressive, and I appreciate that.

But I was not involved in any decisions and no treatment was offered, not even to try to extend his life.

I over heard the consultant say "the daughter just will not accept it" (meaning that nothing can be done) - maybe I would have accepted it more if point 1 had been dealt with in a better way.

3, After being told it felt like the hospital wiped their hands of him and just wanted him to come home.

Unfortunately, this was not practical as I could not provide 24 / 7 care for him, so they wanted him to go in a hospice, and they said it how it was.

When I was not at the hospital they visited my dad and mentioned that they were going to place him in a hospice, to which he refused.

He refused because he was scared, everyone knows why you go to a hospice, why scare a very ill man.

4, When he died (the worst day of my life) I was put in the TV room and told that my family, who was already on their way to the hospital, would be stopped at the door and brought to me.

What actually happened was they were allowed to walk into his room, and saw him lying in the bed dead.

My cousin had to go to the nurse and ask whether his uncle had died, this is unacceptable, that room should have been locked, or some sort of sign warning you not to go in.

I am really sorry to be leaving such a negative review, and this is the first time I have ever done this.

But I feel it my duty to let you know about my dreadful experience, in the hope that this trauma does not happen to anyone else.