"A&E and Juniper Ward"

Thank you for taking the trouble to post your comments, at a time when I am sure you have other concerns to occupy you. We value feedback and use it to guide our improvement projects across the Trust. I am delighted to hear that your experience in A&E was a good one though was concerned to hear that there you felt there was a lack of consistency and accuracy in the advice you were given. I note your comment on the variety of people involved in your wife’s care. I am sorry if this seemed confusing and can reassure you that the intention of all concerned was to ensure that ‘no stone was left unturned’ in terms of getting the diagnosis right. I regret the delay caused by a misunderstanding of what was required from the CT which was requested. I have asked the Matron for A&E to look into this aspect of your comments. Phlebotomy (taking blood samples) is as you suggest a core skill for both nursing and medical staff. Not all nurses undertake phlebotomy though we are increasing our numbers constantly as they go through training and succeed in acquiring their competency. I am truly sorry for the distress and discomfort it would have caused to your wife. I am concerned to hear that you felt that staffing on Juniper ward was inadequate, particularly as the Trust has invested £3 million in the last three years to increase nurse and nursing assistant numbers. Whilst I am not aware of the exact circumstances on the days you refer t I have asked the Matron for the area to look into this. It was surprising to read that you found areas of the Trust to be less clean than you would have liked. The Trust has a good reputation for cleanliness with low levels of complaint in this area. We are externally independently inspected each year and have always achieved a good report. I have passed your comments regarding the dusting and general state of the toilet on to our Contract Manager for her to investigate. Bodily fluids should be cleaned by nurses who are trained in the specifics of disinfection for certain types of fluid. As the spill was in the gentlemen’s toilet, it is unlikely nursing staff were aware of it. Should you find anything of this type on a future visit I would ask that you report it to a member of staff who can then arrange for cleaning to take place. The reputation of the Trust is incredibly important to us with Patient Care our key focus. We were placed in the top 20% of hospitals in the country in a recent national report, of which we are proud but not complacent. We constantly strive to ensure that our staff and the environment enable us to provide professional care and exceptional quality. We are grateful to you for helping us with this challenge. I do hope that your wife is recovering and will be home with you very soon. Kate King Interim Director of Nursing 01322 428658.