"Excellent care, hard-working and conscientious..."

I was an in-patient at the Lister from 23/07/14 to 21/08/14, with a nasty dose of Cellulitis affecting my left lower leg and foot. I was initally referred to A&E by my GP practice as an emergency as the problem could have been DVT. On arrival, my wait in A&E was no more than 10 minutes and I was admitted to the Short Stay Unit in the first instance, then via Ward 10B South to my eventual destination on Ward 10B North. DVT was ruled out. Staff on the SSU and 10B South were very attentive as I was in quite a poor way with a high temperature and dehydration. I'm 67 and had never had an stay in Hospital, other than one night for a minor operation over 40 years ago so this was a new experience for me. I cannot praise the staff of Ward 10B North too highly. All were hard-working, caring, friendly and very helpful. My Bay of 4 beds was thoroughly cleaned twice daily and any spills or 'accidents' were dealt with swiftly. I found the meals perfectly adequate and palatable. Menu choices were invariably supplied as selected. We got regular supplies of tea and coffee too. I didn't expect gourmet food or huge portions (which wouldn't have been appropriate anyway for people lying in bed most of the day) and I am surprised to have seen criticism of the food provided at the Lister. Medical care from the Doctors was just as good. I needed 4 different types of intravenous antibiotics over the whole period to get on top of the infection, which accounts for the length of my stay. I am Type 2 Diabetic and I was impressed by how seriously this was taken, with blood sugar testing several times per day. It became apparent that I was being over-medicated by my GP Clinic as I was having very low readings at times (technically hypoglycaemic) which I was not aware of. Prompt action was taken on this with a carton of Orange Juice and 2 Digestive Biscuits (quite a treat while waiting for breakfast!). My medication was reduced by the Consultant Diabetologist and I am very pleased about this as home testing is now discouraged for those not on insulin and twice-yearly HbA1c tests do not reveal fluctuations like this. Even with regular changes of patients, the 4 of us in the Bay got on very well together, both with each other and the staff. All in all, I rather enjoyed the experience of my longish stay (although not anxious to repeat it).