"The hospital seems responably ..."

What I liked

The hospital seems responably clean, and some members of staff are friendly and helpful unlike the majority of their colleagues.

Extremely good consultant. They put me at ease, explained the operation I was going to have done clearly and thoroughly.

What could be improved

I have had two experiences at Basildon hospital over the last two years, unfortunately both have been negative.

The first was a leg operation. Whilst I had an excellent surgeon for which I am very grateful for; I am afraid the majority of the staff I came in contact with made the already nerve racking experience of being in hospital a whole deal worse.

A few members of staff were very friendly, helpful and clearly put a lot of effort into their jobs which in turn I believe makes patients feel more at ease and perhaps not so depressed about being in hospital in the first place.

The majority of their colleagues however do not share the same work ethic. During my five day stay at Basildon hospital I found that many were abrupt and insensitive.

The nature of my operation was perhaps slightly out of the ordinary; I feel this led to nurses being unsure about the care and treatment I should be given. They went about making their own assumptions rather than asking the consultant more about the procedure.

I was often wheeled off for X-rays before being told first where I was going. I had lost my appetite and so struggled to get through my meals, this seemed to annoy the member of staff serving lunch and was told to hurry up – these examples may seem unimportant but these along with other similar experiences caused me more distress.

My more recent experience at Basildon hospital was on the maternity ward this week for my appointment for a 12 week scan.

I arrived with an open mind, telling myself that I was going to a different ward and that just because the last experience at the hospital was not good did not mean that this time would be the same.

Unfortunately my hopes were not fulfilled. The member of staff was abrupt and actually a little rude. My husband and I were understandably excited but also nervous and apprehensive particularly as this is our first baby. I am pleased to say all appeared healthy on the scan so we left the maternity ward feeling relieved but also that we had been rushed through the whole process.

I am coming to the conclusion that the staff at the hospital are losing the personal touch and I strongly believe that something needs to be done about this.