"Disturbing neighbour on the ward in Northern General"

I have lived in Sheffield all my life and in the past years I have been in different hospitals for treatment and operations. The experience that I have had in the last month has really been appalling.

I am not criticising the staff, as they were very pleasant and caring considering there wasn’t enough of them. I had to wait an hour and a half for pain relief but it wasn’t their fault. The staff shortage was made worse by a patient that was admitted to our ward who, in my opinion, had nothing wrong with her, who was demanding the nurses attention all the time. She was constantly walking about, talking to everyone and interfering, always there when visitors came. Some of the patients were very poorly and she was asking for money and TV cards.

One lady was dying in a room at the end of our ward. She needed a lot more attention. Twice in the early hours of the morning this woman stood in the middle of the ward at 3am shouting and swearing on her phone. One day she left the ward at 5.30pm and didn’t return until 1am the next morning. Her boyfriend had supposedly kidnapped her. She was drunk and was brought back the next morning. She was on a methadone programme. She really should have been on a psychiatric ward.

One lady who was very ill that was in the next bed to me couldn’t stand it anymore. She went home and ended up collapsing and being brought back the next day. When you are feeling ill, worrying about work and money, you just need peace and quiet.

Once again I want to add that the staff were marvellous.