"Appalling experience"

My 90 year old blind and bedbound Mother was admitted via A&E and transferred to the temporary AMU location where the welcome from the staff nurse can best be described as frosty. The nurse was clearly under pressure and was complaining to a colleague - in front of us - about one of the nurses.

My Mother has bed sores yet the hospital were unable to provide a basic air mattress until the next day. She was then transferred - at 3 in the morning - to another ward.

The staff in the second ward were very kind but it was very difficult to get information.

We were only able to speak to a junior doctor who, although very nice, clearly did not have the knowledge to answer our questions.

My Mother was discharged from this ward but it took five and a half hours for transport home to be arranged (she is unable to get in a car).

A lack of communication by the ward staff when ordering the transport resulted in an ambulance crew arriving but refusing to take my Mother because they were unable to assist with manual handling. It was only when we intervened that something actually happened. To make matters worse, she was discharged with the wrong medication.

Two of her regular (and important) prescriptions were omitted.

Had she not had family support to monitor her meds, I really wonder whether this would ever have been picked up.

We also walked through the A and C level corridors one evening to find blood drops at regular intervals on the floor and in the lift.

We reported this to a member of staff. Finally there are signs everywhere that the hospital - including grounds - are non-smoking areas, yet large numbers of patients and visitors congregate around the main entrance to smoke.

It's filthy.

There are cigarette butts everywhere and everyone entering or leaving the hospital has to walk through thick smoke.

It is absolutely foul, yet no one does anything to address this.

A really disappointing experience.

This hospital really needs to improve its cleanliness and communication procedures.