"shocked"

Despite my 12 years of working in NHS hospitals, I never expected being an inpatient could be so bad.

The first ward I was on, it was as if I was a nuisance just for being there. The nursing staff (not most HCAs/students) and especially senior nurses were rude, disrespectful and seemed to get a kick out of humiliating me and other patients.

Despite my polite requests and the surgeons' instructions, my bed was not tilted (a manual bed) or swapped for one that I could operate myself for 11 days! I am in no doubt that this caused a significant delay in my surgery and caused an issue in theatre for the surgeon, who confirmed this.

On one occasion when I very reluctantly requested a bedpan I was met with "For God's sake, really?" and, despite my profuse apologies, the member of staff continued to let me know just how much a trial it was for her.

A very humiliating experience.

I was talked at and not with.

I am an educated mature woman but was spoken down to in a way I would be uncomfortable hearing to even a small child.

It was all about the senior nurses and the patients were a nuisance. I rarely asked for anything or rang my bell for fear of irritating them and promoting worse behaviour toward me. Very unprofessional indeed with zero interest in the emotional or mental well-being of me or of the other patients.

The second ward I was on was a world apart.

The nursing staff actually nursed instead of leaving everything to HCAs and/or students.

They introduced themselves and spoke to me in an appropriate manner with the exception of one senior nurse, unfortunately.

She was brusque and demeaning from the start so I avoided her as best I could.

However, there was a potentially very harmful incident when she refused to help me open a door which then crashed into my bad leg.

I was on lots of morphine following this to help with the pain, which I had not had before.

I complained to PALS and have not heard anything since.

There was a cleanliness issue when I arrived on the ward; the lavatory was heavily soiled with what looked like diarrhoea, similar staining was on the frame of the bed.

There is another disturbing incident to do with the first ward that I find too difficult to put into words as I am still distressed by it, essentially, senior nurse x 2 making an extra special effort to humiliate and embarrass me, which reduced me to a blubbering mess.

I met many staff who clearly gain job satisfaction from making patients feel better but the handful of sadists who are allowed free reign to behave as they do have left me fearing ever having to go to QEH again.