"My stay on Sonning Ward"

I have read many other comments from other patients following their stay on Sonning Ward and I am horrified that this is being allowed to continue.

My partner was so upset by the way I was being treated during my two day stay that he was frantically phoning around private clinics to try and have me transferred (we would not have the money for this, so shows his desperation).

On being discharged I was given the wrong medication and information - I was told my recent blood test had come back fine and even when I explained to the doctor that I hadn't had a recent blood test this was dismissed and I was still discharged.

As I was leaving the ward I heard shouting behind me and turned to see a nurse running towards me explaining there had been a mix up and actually I wasn't well enough to be discharged and was sent back onto the ward to stay for further tests!

During my stay I was ignored, prodded without warning, woken by being shaken and most of the time felt treated like an animal.

I was in with severe lower abdominal pains, queried ruptured cysts and all blood I was losing was to be monitored and measured (not pleasant).

On my second day I was losing very large clots that I was very concerned about and still in great deal of pain - I told one of the nurses that I had covered the pan where the blood and clots were (in a small brown tub thing for easy measuring) and on knowing the last TWO samples had been thrown away, I made her walk with me and collect. Later that day I asked about them and was told that they must have been thrown and nobody had recorded this!

I cried every night throughout my stay and could not have been happier when I was finally, correctly, discharged home.

This is the most horrendous ward I have ever been on and I worked for the NHS for 2 years practising as a midwife.

Barely any of the staff speak English. Some staff I met were rude, nasty or without care for any patients.

In my experience, ladies on this ward were scared, alone and often in a great deal of pain. The whole experience is terrible enough, but some staff, including some doctors, make this much worse.

I have recommended to every family member, friend and colleague never to go to this hospital in an emergency and that is very sad.

I understand staffing levels aren't great but that is no excuse for any of the treatment I have stated above.