"Inter departmental communication, ..."

What could be improved

Inter departmental communication, Keeping patients informed regarding waiting times, Bank and Agency staff need to change their attitude and remember that they are there to care for patients and not just earning their next pay cheque, cleaning methods still need altering,( while I was on Ward 7 a cleaner was using the same cloth to wipe down table legs, chair legs, bed frames, window sills and patients bed tables, at no point did I see the cloth being washed out, the bed I was on had ripped and holed blanket.

Anything else?

I went to Stafford Hospital A&E Department on Sunday 8th Dec 2009, I was in extreme discomfort from persistent bleeding from the rectum, I was booked in by reception and told to wait, (no estimated time was given) (the waiting area was empty apart from someone waiting for a lift home), at 7.15 (after waiting an hour and forty mins) I was taken through and put in one of the beds, staff did the usual routine, General medical history, BP, Bloods etc, and again I was left to wait, sometime later I was examined by a doctor who stated that I needed further investigation, at 10.30am I was taken to Ward 7, none of the staff there were aware that I was to be seen by other Doctors, at 12.30 after a further two plus hours waiting two doctors arrived and explained that they were not notified until the last minute that I was still waiting to be seen, They duly carried out the examination and advised me what would be a suitable course of treatment, I was told that a letter for my GP was being prepared and it would be done in half an hour, at which point I would be allowed home, at 2.15 I still had not received the discharge letter, my wife went to enquire where the letter was and was told by another doctor that there was no chance, my wife was unable to wait any longer with me because she had to drive my Daughter to work, my wife returned to the hospital at 3.20,expecting me to be ready to leave, no such luck, I was still waiting, I asked one of the nurses what the hold up was and that I would wish to fill in a complaint form, his reply was that I could have as many as I wanted, eventually we left the hospital at 4.30, I was still in severe pain, dehydrated, and hungry, during my Ten and a Half hours in hospital I was not offered any pain relief, The staff were aware of my existing medical condition, (Triple Heart Bypass, 2 Heart Stents, Angina, etc), I felt totally let down by the Hospital and the Staff.