"Dreadful"

What I liked

The only positive part of my experience was interaction with my consultant and the actual operation she undertook. She communicated clearly, showed empathy and was very supportive.

What could be improved

There were no beds available when I arrived for admission for surgery. However, my main complaint is that there was no compassion evident from the nursing staff. My fellow patients were also ignored, for example, when they used their call buttons. This left me feeling very vulnerable on the ward as I tried to recover from major surgery. In addition, although I had an open wound, there was no apparent effort by staff to minimize the risk of infection by MRSA from the elderly, weak patient beside me who had the bug. Instead, as her buzzer was sometimes unanswered, myself and another patient often had to take her to the bathroom - leaving us exposed to infection. The staff on the ward were also very difficult to distinguish as to their role, with uniforms that were generally rather similar. No one wore name badges, making it even more challenging to know who was talking to me and some members of staff were wearing heavy makeup which, surely, is a source of infection and inappropriate amongst ill people. There was also a tendency among some staff to loudly discuss aspects of their personal lives with colleagues instead of interacting properly with patients. It is also worth noting that, while I wasn't overly interested in it, the food was absolutely dreadful.

Anything else?

In an effort to ensure no one else experiences the poor care I received, I have written to the Trust's Chief Executive to provide them with a factual account of a patient's journey but, to date (after 3 weeks), I have not received any acknowledgement.