"My stay"

Dear Anonymous – I was sorry to read of your partner’s experience at Southmead and I am disappointed that he did not receive good care throughout his stay. The situation where a patient is “forgotten” and care and support are not provided 24/7 is unacceptable and should never happen. I very much regret that the room was cold, he was not provided with a meal and a call bell was not provided, especially as he did not have ensuite facilities. The move from larger open wards to single rooms had initially proved challenging for the nurses, but recent feedback suggested that the nursing staff and changes in operational processes had largely overcome these issues, hence my disappointment that your partner experienced poor care. You do not say where in the hospital your partner was, but from the description it appears he final occupied a procedure room due the demand for beds and I understand that provision has been made for temporary call bells to be fitted in such circumstances, so I will feed this omission back to those concerned. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to provide us with your feedback on behalf of your partner. I hope that his recovery is now progressing will. Kind regards – Steve Sykes Advice and Complaints Manager