"A few of the nurses were kind, ..."

What I liked

A few of the nurses were kind, caring, took time to listen to me and paid attention to what i was saying.

What could be improved

The food was mostly tasteless and boring, although there appeared to be a variety of food, it often all tasted of nothing. Often I was not given a menu so had to have 'pot luck' as to what was left over when everyone else had been served. This was because the menus were not collected from side rooms.

Doctors often did not show up at all during the day or just came for a cursory, quick visit and didnt have time to answer any questions or discuss treatment.

Nurses often seemed to misunderstand instructions that doctors had given. On a few occasions, I had to correct them myself and the nurse then had to go and confirm what I was saying.

I was supposed to receive IV antibiotics at regular intervals, however because of nurses being busy or other things happening, the doses were sometimes 2 or 3 hours late. This was also the same for pain medications which were supposed to have been given at regular intervals.

I had to request pain medications most of the time, despite them supposed to be on a 4 hourly schedule. The idea being to receive more before the last one wears off. Often I was left in extreme pain because of the delay in receiving medication. Being in a side room, nobody came to check on me unless I called them or had a requirement.

When the bedclothes were being changed, the call button was often put out of reach and I could not call for help in any way but to shout. Usually it was just a passer by that would hear rather than a nurse. Most embarassing.

The security guards boots were VERY loud during the night, I know it sounds petty but being next to a corridor, it was a constant source of awakenings. Oh and can SOMEONE please get a can of oil for the trolleys? It wouldnt take much to assist patients to get more sleep, the little things seem to be forgotten.

Anything else?

Some nurses stand out from the crowd, both for good reasons and bad. Some are clearly carers and others treat the patients as an inconvenience. I did NOT ask to be in hospital and I really didnt want to be there. I tried to make the most of a bad situation, but being treated as an inconvenience was literally adding insult to injury. Unfortunately, when you depend on someone for your care, it is VERY difficult/awquard/impossible to tell them how much they are upsetting you. It wouldnt take much for these specific people to improve their attitude.