"Very different from previous stay.and..."

Last year in 2014 I was on Earsham Ward for the same as this year, the debridement of a haematoma and skin graft.

Last year after surgery they placed a vacuum dressing on the open wound to keep ot clean untik the skin graft. This year they chose to put a very painful chemical on the wound similar to vinegar and bound it with crepe bandage. Within 2 hours of each daily dressing change, the bandage was continuously soggy where the wound was and seeping on the bed,

To keep my bed clean I had to wheel myself in my own wheelchair around the ward to find bath towels (besides one time I asked) staff were always too busy to fetch a protective covering between my dressing and the bedding. If the bed was soiled it remained like that nost of the day and the sight of it made me retch sometimes.

On two days my beding was changed with just a bottom sheet, no upper sheet of blanket. On my last night there this year I used my personal pyjama top over my legs after I woke at 3am (I went to sleep at 1am). After going to the toilet I sat up on the bottom sheet listening to Radio 2 waiting for the day staff to come on duty. Approcimately an hour before they did, a healthcare assistant entered sideroom 5 with a blood pressure machine and rammed it more than once against my wheelchair and the door frame. I left plenty of room for the machine. When the machine was in the room and passed my wheelchair, I was taken aback to see the healthcare assistant ram the blood pressure machine into my bed, then swing it into the wheelchair again and from there into the wall. They were very angry about something.and though not frightened, I did not want to stoke that anger so I smiled and said, "Hello Luv." (not good morning). They said, "Good morning", as they put the cuff on my arm and I felt the anger was not with me and had its origin from elsewhere in the ward.

Since day one in sideroom 5 on Earsham Ward, the used towels and gowns built up in my toilet/washroom. There was more than one gown because prior to surgery there were two cancellations, so altogther the two gowns from those 18 hour periods of 'Nil By Mouth' plus the gown I wore to surgery on the 3rd day. I told the supervisor of the cleaners about the pile of linen and they replied, "We are not allowed to touch any of that. It is the job of 'one of them' which I presumed meant a nurse or more likely a healh care assistant.

I gave up asking for fresh water ro be given to me, when waking each morning I had the same water in the jug from the day before. The catering staff 'team leader' was pulling a trolly dull of water jugs and on my last day they stopped and we looked directly at each other. through my open door. It was like they were making a decision while staring at me during those moments and I felt hopeful. The team leader then continued pulling the trolly down the corridor without giving me fresh water.

I know sthey were the 'team leader' because I asked the member of staff who brought into my room the lunch on a tray.