"More thought given to patients by night staff."

What I liked

Most of the nurses and doctors. The ward, hospital itself - very very nice very clean.

What could be improved

Night nursing staff. Most of the time when visitor had gone and patients were settling down for the night, side lights were turned on and main lights switched off as it could be anything up to 3 hours before the drug trolley reached our ward. But on some occasions, main lights were left on streaming down when trying to sleep. On one occasion I asked if they could be switched off to be greeted with a nurse sternly stating they have to stay on for the drug nurse to see what she was doing. I tried to explain the the other nurses manage well without them and I had been here almost 2 weeks to which I was met with "Ive been a nurse here since 1986 and I know what Im talking about... she was very rude and I asked her to leave me. I was very upset and tearfull. I was recovering from major emergency surgery and at the end of the day, if it takes so long for the trolley to appear, then shouldnt the main priority be the patient who has been awake most of the day, very tired, very sore and in my case 81 miles from my home town away from my family feeling and being treated like a primary school child.

Also having returned 6 weeks later for a clinic check up - the consultant was running over an hour late... this happens, I know and cant be helped. I went in to see him 1 hour and 20 minutes past my appointment time. There were so many things I wanted to discuss regarding my future but as soon as I walked in the room, he was surprised to see my looking so well. when I then started to ask some questions, he was backing away from me back into the next room the the next patient saying if I had any problems, I was to see my own GP. I had adhesions that had wrapped around my bowel. I only know that they saved the bowel and I already know what the future holds. But I wanted to know things like....did they cut some bowel and rejoin to remove the adhesions or did they just cut away what they couldm to me, all very very important questions.

Anything else?

My whole experience was frightening. I arrived in casualty on the evening of 1st January and was left in terrible pain until 4 days later until I told them I could take no more. I honestly thought that I was dying as the pain was far beyond anything I could stand and I truly believed that this must be the end of my life as pain cant possibly be any worse. My family could not explain either, why I had been left so long until it became an emergency when I was rushed from the scan room to theatre! My consultant was asked by my partener on the day of my operation why I had been waiting for so long and he simply said he couldnt give him an answer but agreed they should have acted sooner!

I know hospitals are busy and even accept that sometimes appointment clinics run late. but basic nursing care when treating patients that are tired and ill at the end of the day does not include being rude. The final thing Id like to point out is that some of the night nurses continually chatted about forthcoming weddings and meaningless shopping trips again, when patients are trying to sleep. On the weekend, we had two nursing staff in the evening....very quiet spoken, very early with the drugs trolley and very very efficient., They were marvellous, if two of them can be successful, why cant everyone else? I wasnt going to say anything at all but my family said I should.