"Once on the chest ward I really ..."

What I liked

Once on the chest ward I really felt things were moving to sort out diagnosis & long term treatment.

Big thank you to the volunteers who will shop for you in the hospital shops, as I had no one visiting me, and the library would also have been much appreciated had I been in any longer.

What could be improved

The food, found it very difficult to achieve my 5 a day fruit/veg, ended up buying cartons of fruit juice. Food was adequate, but not inspiring, when many people need appetites tempted. Was emergency admitted to Dorchester last year, they win hands down on food - have a word with them, but not on patient care.

The need for food & drink was not always considered, ambulance called about 5pm still in A&E at 9.30pm had had nothing to eat or drink, don't think anyone would have offered me anything until breakfast.

Same on the ward, if you're awake during the night, staff have too much to do to make hot drinks, woken at 6am for blood pressure etc, but no drink until 8am. Really need an 'orderly type' person who could cover this gap.

Not sure that seeing a doctor at 5am on MAU (having arrived there about midnight), was the best time to get sense out of me (or any patient!)

Anything else?

Not complaints about any of the staff, acceptable to very very good.

Was pleased to see those that could not feed themselves or hold a drink were assisted in a friendly manner.

Staff appeared some of the time to have just too much on, so that bells rang for a long time, can become distressing if you need the commode! No way of knowing how urgent the bell is.

Are some procedures too inflexible - I obviously had a chest/breathing problem, could I not have gone straight to Chest ward rather than via a few hours in MAU. Do the sheets and pillow cases really have to be changed every day, if not soiled, even if the patient is likely to be discharged that day.

Some staff wore a name badge, (but not I think hospital supplied) great idea.