"I didnt feel I knew what was happening with my..."

What I liked

Quiet, plenty of staff. Calm atmosphere.

What could be improved

Visiting hours are very restricted, even at weekends even though no physiotherapy takes place at weekends. It is very difficult to visit your relative if you work. Please can this be looked into as Merton Ward is supposed to be a halfway house between hospital and home. The Medway hospital visiting hours are very flexible and if a person was at home they would have friends and family visiting. Why is it that we can only visit for such a short period of time each day? It cant be good for patients psychological well-being to be so isolated.

Anything else?

Getting into the hospital for evening visiting hours is a bit like a prison visit. You have to press one buzzer after another until you get in. Sometimes the buzzer does not release the door and you have to prise it apart! There is no reception and on a first visit to Merton ward it is quite alarming because having pressed the buzzer for Merton Ward at each of the doors on the way in, when you finally get to it the buzzer outside it says it is St Andrews! There seem to be plenty of staff around but nobody in charge of actually welcoming visitors.

Also there are no doctors at the hospital so you have no idea who to ask regarding the welfare of your friend/relative. It's all a bit hush hush. In Medway the patients notes are kept by their bed so that relatives can see how they are progressing but at St Barts they are kept with the staff.