"Unprofessional staff behaviour"

Whilst in my local hospital for recent surgery, there were constant disagreements among the night staff which made the patients feel very uneasy, especially as the patients were given conflicting advice. On one occasion there was a stand-up row in front of the patients, which had to be broken up by another (less senior) nurse. This was particularly unpleasant as they tried to involve me in the situation. Basically, the ward was very short-staffed during the night and the two individuals in charge should never have been working together as there was such a huge personality clash.

The phones rang all night long (with few calls answered), machines beeped alarms all night long (because one of the staff could not operate them properly) and it was so chaotic and noisy, I couldn't wait to get home to rest.

I pity the poor patients who were in there long-term, especially the 92-yr old woman who had basically been dumped in the ward after a fall in the street. Confused, half-blind, half-deaf, the staff had little time for her, and when one of the trainees sat with her, she was admonished by the ward manager and told to get on with her duties. I think this is a sad reflection of our times.

My discharge was similarly chaotic with no advice given on the medication prescribed. My 14-day telephone follow-up is now several days overdue.

On a positive note, the trainee nurse and volunteers were the best part of my stay - respectful, gentle and kind.