"I went to the hospital unexpectedly. ..."

What I liked

I went to the hospital unexpectedly. I'd only moved to the area 6 weeks beforehand and having been told I had a heart problem, and being 25, I was extremely nervous (I'd never been in hospital in my life before). Coming from Ireland, where almost all healthcare is privatised, I feared a huge bill or long waiting times if I didn't have health insurance and queues for operations. I have to say that the treatment was exceptional. From admission to assessment I was taken care of without a moan or a problem. I was transferred to Freeman hospital for the operation, which happened within an hour of me getting there, and given a private bed for the night. I was then taken back and given more exceptional after-care in Rake Lane. May I also say that the public healthcare was phenomenal, and the fact I wasn't charged, was quite frankly shocking to me. I was awake during the entire operation and the surgeon was extremely diligent and made me feel at ease, as did all the staff in both hospitals. After I was discharged I was given after-care appointments and follow up meetings and, again, treatment has been next to none...in that it has been incredibly well organised with no problems. The best gift I could ask for was a clean bill of health and Rake Lane and Freeman gave that to me.

What could be improved

I don't really think anything could have been improved. I was a little picky about the food, and didn't like much of it, but I can't complain about the quality...it was just a personal taste. I think sometimes, at night, the wards could use an extra nurse on staff since some older patients were getting up out of their beds and trying to leave (that happened in Ward 15)! It would be helpful to have an extra pair of hands but this wasn't a common occurrence. Overall I'd like to thank the NHS in general and say its wonderful you have such efficient public healthcare.