"emergency admission via A& E to admission to ..."

My husband was admitted via A & E with abdominal pain and admitted to Edison ward with a diagnosis of septicaemia,cholecystitis and gall stones.

He was an inpatient for a total of 11 days! It was a particularly stressful time for us as we live in Wales. The clinicians and nursing staff involved in my husbands care were excellent. All necessary investigations to establish a diagnosis were organised efficiently and as a priority. This is a particularly busy ward, with frequent admissions/discharges so turnover within a week is great. Despite this staff are helpful, considerate and caring whilst working under great pressure.

A special thank you to the three nurses we saw for their excellent compassionate nursing skills. thank you to our two consultants for a detailed explanation of my husbands care and treatment and excellent care and continued feedback throughout our stay.

The time from medical discharge to leaving the ward can be lengthy- appreciate that lots of discharge summaries to be done on a number of wards. A thank you to all staff involved who helped speed up the process to allow us to leave the ward by 1.30 pm and make our 4hour journey on public transport / train journeyhome!

One matter of concern is the hospital food!! Catering staff take the daily food orders from patients. Many patients are on special diets, as in my husbands case who was on a low fat diet. They appear to have limited training in helping some patients decide on appropriate diet choices. My husband was offered egg mayonnaise sandwiches/cheese sandwiches/ cheese dishes/ custard - which is not particularly conducive to a low fat diet. There does not seem to be a designated low fat diet list - only a "healthier" choice indicated by a a heart symbol.

Many of the patients with a similar condition to my husband were making poor food choices e.g egg mayonnaise/ cheese sandwiches. An easy solution may be a designated low fat menu choice or the formulation of a dietary information sheet given to patients on admission which they can then take home.

In conclusion ( finally!) a big thanks again for all staff involved in my husbands care.