"My husband had to visit A&E ..."

What I liked

My husband had to visit A&E at 6pm on a Tuesday evening, he was in a great deal of distress and was treated promptly and with great cheerfulness and kindness. The staff were extremely busy that evening, I watched them all working to full capacity from 6 until midnight, when they told me I might as well go home as my husband would not be allowed home that night.

What could be improved

The beds were too close together, the room needed to be bigger and they needed more staff, or at least more cleaning staff. The turnover of patients was high and therefore the risk of infection must be high. The staff did not have the time to clean correctly or to a high standard, there was a need for a number of cleaners working all the time. I fully appreicate that it is difficult to forecast the number of patients at any one time, that is why I suggest they could do with more cleaners, as they would be cheaper to employ then more nursing staff or doctors.

Anything else?

The staff working on the ward were all, without exception, excellent. They were hard working and kind to everyone they dealt with. I could not praise them highly enough. I do not know how they could keep up such a high level of care without becoming exhausted, Chester must be very proud of its a&e unit.