"fantastic medical support, but poor nursing"

I was not from London and was quite anxious about coming here. My surgeon was fantastic and made me feel very at ease. The anaesthetic team, pain team and other medical staff were all professional, respectful and involved me in all decisions. If they had been looking after me on the ward I would have no concern for complaint. However, apart from a few exceptions, the nursing care was below par. In the week I was in I was treated like a number in ITU, with nurses more concerned about me breaching my time on the unit than sorting out my pain relief. Then when I got to the ward 7 north wing most staff nurses (the healthcare assistants were lovely) did not adhere to basic hygiene, in a week I saw no cleaning of pumps or equipment in-between patients. I was also mostly left to my own devices regarding care after a big operation. When it came to discharge this was delayed by poor communication and I was repeatedly told it was being dealt with. There was one outstanding exception who was a credit to the profession: kind, respectful, efficient and exceptional hygiene with handwashing etc. Unfortunately these experiences with the nursing staff affected my overall experience of this hospital. But to reiterate, the surgery performed was of top standard and I was involved in all care decisions, the ward housekeeping staff were efficient and kind and I observed regular cleaning of the ward environment and the food was of a high standard and all encounters with other medical staff was very good it was only the nursing care that was lacking.