"ITU brilliant but ward not so well staffed"

My life was in balance when I entered A&E, transferred to CDU and then to ITU. I am alive. ITU was spectacular with the care, attention and saved me. On the ward perhaps the care needed tweeking. On every shift change there was a shortfall in the number of HSAs and Staffs, this resulted in personal care being a hit and miss, some were completed before lunch, the rest after. Buzzers were not responded to quickly, or efficiently. People needing bed pans were delivered them too late, or not at all, needing greater staff input for changing the bed. Home equipment (BiPap) was not available for 7 days so my bed was clogging the system and I needed HSA and Staff/Sister as well as the Drs, Physios and Social Workers attention for that period, let alone the other considerations of housekeeping. The housekeeping staff were all bright and friendly, always smiling, it makes a difference. When the home BiPap machine was delivered on ward my instruction was delayed, was the mask was non existent! In the end I was discharged with the mask from the equipment on my bed!

The NSL drivers were excellent, looking after me extremely well and delivering me back into my house, making sure I was safe and secure.

Did I have a good experience? I am alive, so I am extremely grateful to everybody. I just feel that with better staffing creating a full complement on the existing rotas the level of care would be more consistent and the hard-working core of staff across the board would be less under continuous, never-ending pressure to provide the service required of such an important hospital.