"Well within an hour of calling ..."

What I liked

Well within an hour of calling at Casualty with a non-stop nose bleed, I was attended to by a nurse and a doctor, and then transferred to Ward 307 where I was allocated a bed.

All the doctors, nurses and staff in Casualty and in Ward 307 were very friendly, caring and helpful.

The modern facilities in the hospital were marvellous, and I appreciated the four bed ward layout.

If I ever need to go into hospital again, I hope I am sent to the Derby Royal !

What could be improved

The bed was comfortable but, being a light sleeper, I got little sleep during the night because I could hear the mainly working conversation of nurses that took place in the corridor and at the desk. A door is needed between the ward and corridor.

Perhaps because I only stayed in the ward for one day and night, little attempt was made to inform me of the daily routine etc.

Consequently, I had to pester staff and patients to tell me times of, and types of meals, how one listened to the radio and/or operated the TV, if a trolley come round with library books, and newspapers and other items for sale etc.

My suggestion is that new patients should be given a simple hand-out that lists all the things they might need to know about their stay in hospital. ie. In similar manner to the information that hotels and guest-houses provide.

The food was all edible, and portions were large, but the cooked meals tasted bland.

The free to use radio service only operated for two hours in the morning.

Anything else?

A problem that must apply to all hospitals is that patients get terribly bored if they have to stay in hospital for any length of time.

For that reason, I wish to suggest that a study be done to find ways of means of keeping patients more occupied.