"Excellent care - helpful and courteous..."

What I liked

My son was brought into the hospital and was seen immediately by a nurse (although I it was 7.30 in the morning and very quiet) who immediately set up constant observations to assess his condition. He was seen at an appropriate time first by an A&E doctor and then by a paediatrician. Tests were taken and as soon as it was clear that he could take food, he was offered food. The cleaners were in attendance all the time I was there which was most of the day. The deputy Sisters were checking the work of the cleaners. Every time a bed became vacant, the nurses would clean down the bed ready for the next patient. It was clear that money had been spent in making the hospital easy to keep clean from hospital bugs: with a new style of lamp that was easy to keep clean, curtains that were dated with their replacement; the floor which was cleaned with a spray and micro fibre pad rather than bucket and mop; beds which looked new; hand cleaning gel dispensers.

What could be improved

We were very grateful to have had a video to play, however the machine that we had to use was chewing up the tapes. Some of the tapes therefore were broken. It would be a shame if the use of a video was not available for other patients as it helped us cope enormously.

It would have been useful to have had a contact sheet provided with notes of the main doctor that he had seen as a reference with notes on his referral and follow up appointment. It would also have been helpful to have left with an appointment at Watford Hospital rather than leaving not knowing when this could be.CleanlinessFoodNoise levelsBedsCleanersDoctorsNursing staffAppointmentsFollow upReferrals