"the ambulance staff were fantastic ..."

What I liked

the ambulance staff were fantastic and care in a&e was spot on, the a&e dr diagnosed what ward drs didnt!!! the staff in the interventional radiotherapy unit were fab, and the cat scan staff were lovely and sympathetic!

What could be improved

1. don't leave a patient 5 days waiting for a scan because you've all messed up the refferal on a daily basis then come round in the morning and ask the patient why you havent had your scan! i dont know i'm the patient!!! not to mention the fact i'm in agony and as result am on strong painkillers 90% of the time.

2. dont leave a patient in a bed with a perforated ulcer for 5 days while some nurses try to feed you others say you cant eat!! this could be resolved by resolving the above(1)!!

3.when finally diagnosed through default, and someone has a massive absess on there liver as a direct result of 1& 2 above dont describe it as 'a little irritation to your liver' tell them its an absess! teach nursing staff working on surgical wards it's not the best idea to to try to make a patient with a perforated duodenal ulcer eat just because ' it says so here'. to use basic nursing judgement and there knowledge (if any) of basic anatomy and phisiology to come to the conclusion that if someone has a hole anywhere in there GI tract perhaps it's best they are NBM.

4.when a post op patient (after laparotomy and repair to ulcer) has a blocked catheter and tells you repeatedly they feel their going to wet the bed because their engorged bladder is trying its damnedest to empty around the tube don't tell them to 'just let go, wet the bed and we'll sort you out when we get to you,' and leave the patient lying in agony for another 4-5 hours while she holds on because ' a patient has died.' Hmmm! dead or live patient in agony!!! this happened on nights so no excuses please. Then push into the already full to bursting bladder 2x50ml bladder washes, only to decide 'i think your right luv that needs to come out.' removed and relieved i am told to pop back up on the bed while they put a new catheter in!!! not a chance!!!

Anything else?

For the first 5 days i'd had no scan or any other diagnotics other than a chest x-ray...bizarre as i was admitted with severe abdo pain!! only when O2 saturations went through the floor they scanned me for a pe...only to discover i'd been lying in bed with a perforated ulcer for 5 days which had caused a plural effusion and a rather large absess on my liver...After my op i contracted pnuemonia which i was told was 'par for the course'. I was also publicy humiliated by a ward dr who decided i was an alcoholic (therfore this was all my fault) and in front of the whole bay of patients started making drinking jestures and laughing and saying(very loudly) come on your scottish admit it your a party girl you love a good drink!!! for the record i drink very very rarely! I begged for discharge as family members and friends all drs nurses we all decided i would get better care at home on discharge when i asked advice i was told to look it up on the internet!

my outpatient carehas been an absolute farce and now 7 months down the line still in pain am still having to chase scans and mri results. I have not seen my consultant once since this whole fiasco and have only had one appointment with ' one of his team' .

I will be making a formal complaint as this written here is only half the sordid story i am so upset even now at my treatment i tear up with anger, i have worked in the nhs and defended it for years and now i am taking out private health insurance my worst nightmare is the thought of being re admitted.