"Ashton ward staff"

My mother and I spent over 7 weeks visiting my grandmother in hospital.

She was transferred by ambulance to A&E on 10/12/17 and was assessed very quickly and professionally and had surgery the following day for a broken femur.

She then was on Barnwell ward which did seem very cramped and run down, for example the windows are old and rusty and the heating system very old.

It’s really difficult to know what roles the staff have as its hard to see their identity badges and when you first visit the hospital staff don’t really say what their role is when you ask them a question.

Maybe they ought to adopt the “hello my name is” way of doing things.

I think there was a whiteboard above my grandmas bed that had her name spelt (incorrectly) and another board in the bay that said “nurse” but didn’t have the bit completed to say who the nurse was.

Anyway once my grandma was transferred to Ashton ward, (she experienced four different moves on this ward) her care was great.

Ashton ward was very clean and modern and a welcome relief from the old side.

I think the staff got to know what a lovely lady my grandmother was, I can think of two healthcare assistants who took the time to say to me “if you need anything just ask” when I was trying to work out how to brush my grandmas teeth with no sink and no cup and another who made sure my mum got a meal while she spent the last 36 hours with my grandma before her passing.

The nurses were very informative and were clearly busy all the time running after sometimes quite rude and hostile patients, my grandmother was transferred to a private room when in palliative care and was treated with dignity and respect and my mum was able to sleep with her for 2 nights.

Staff looked after each other as well, one nurse would not finish her shift until her colleague was also free so worked well over her 13 hour shift to ensure a smooth handover,

If I was asked what you could do better it would be clear badging or identification of roles when you first meet family members.

Also when doctors do their ward rounds please come and ask families when they are with their relatives if they have anything they would like to ask.

It sometimes feel like doctors don’t want to engage with the families, although a couple of days before my grandmothers passing a female doctor very kindly got everything moving.

My mum worked for the NHS for many years as do I at present and we understand the pressures everyone is under,

Thank you to everyone for everything you did for my Grandma, hopefully you will know who she was.

Ps. Caring for someone isn’t just about ticking boxes for an inspection - it’s about actually showing that you care and Ashton ward staff did just that.

Thank you and I hope this feedback is helpful ??