"My experience of the Chesterman Ward"

I was rushed to A&E in December last year with a slight heart attack. A&E was very good. I was left in the corridor for several hours on a trolley with a monitor from 8.10pm till 3.10am. I felt like everyone was looking. I was not given any food or drink. I then had to wait for blood test result to know whether I could be sent home. It turned out that in fact it was a heart attack so I was taken to the Chesterman ward. The public were walking up and down and it was very cold. The ward was a four bed ward for women. There were men at the back of the ward adjoining so you could see men walking back and fro from the toilets. There were no plugs in the sinks so I could not wash. I was told that this was the case because a patient had tried to kill himself so health and safety suggested they remove them. However, the care provided was brilliant. Over Christmas the staff and cleaners were excellent and friendly. The food was much better than previous visits but sometimes not as good as others. I was kept informed about the care being provided and the follow up care was excellent.