"problems with communication and lack of basic..."

What I liked

We were treated with respect and dignity, the staff were very friendly and welcomed us in to the department and the nurses were prompt and professional.

What could be improved

due to the consultant paediatricians carelessness in filling out forms, we had a wasted journey too-ing and frow-ing between many departments because the consultant could not fill out forms correctly! this is not our job to go back and forth between departments to get forms filled in correctly! the consultant should show a level of competence when completing simple forms! even my young son could fill out these forms better than the consultant! This reflects badly on the department and the hospital in general. The consultant also failed to carry out simple clinical observations in their initial assessment of the patient, these missed observations were then carried out afterwards in public and not privately in the corridor in full view of other patients and visitors to the hospital! the observations were carried out by the nurses who were already pushed for time as they were over worked and under valued members of the clinical team. This level of incompetence is unacceptable! The clinical team especially at consultant level do not communicate with each other, there are failings in the system which need to be addressed.

Anything else?

I would not recommend visiting this hospital unless there is no alternative choice nearby. These days the NHS is showing its age and strain under the immense pressure of budget cuts to vital services. There are failings in the system and how it is all funded by private sectors, Please stop wasting money on employing private sector firms for jobs which people within the NHS can do much much better!