"Overall verdict outstanding!"

My Father was admitted via East Herts Amubulamce service who responded to a 999 call from my Mother. The ambulance staff were excellent in assessing my Father's condition and rushed him to Basildon CTC, we are delighted they did.

On arrival at the CTC he suffered a cardiac arrest. The staff identified the cause and fitted two stents immediately. My Father spent the next 18 hours in the ICU. During this time the staff at the hospital were reassuring in providing information and making themselves available to answer our questions. We were beyond impressed with the cleanliness, efficiency and the dedicated 1-1 care he received during this time.

We were pleased when he was 'down-graded' to 1-2 and then 1-4 care, however, what remained constant, on all the wards, was the level of cleanliness and the provision of capable friendly staff. The only minor criticism is that the extensive menu didn't seem to have a section providing, or suggesting, 'heart healthy' meals.

My Father says: "All the staff gave me dignified attention and full confidence that they were on top of treating my medical problems. I also thought it was excellent that we got a conscientious response to the detailed list of questions I had following my procedure. The processes seemed well established and understood by everyone involved. The staff I encountered were all very cheerful and friendly which is reassuring and helpful when you are convalescing from a trauma."

The NHS today seems to have many critics but the experience with Basildon CTC was definitely world class. We consider the level of patient care received to be outstanding and are extremely grateful to all those involved.