This is Care Opinion [siteRegion]. Did you want Care Opinion [usersRegionBasedOnIP]?
Care Opinion

Nightmarish, apart from the A&E.

Story from nhs.uk

"Nightmarish, apart from the A&E."

About: The Royal London Hospital

What I liked

The A&E team: they were efficient, sympathetic and very communicative.

The cleaners, the ladies serving food and the SHOs on the ward.

Going home - and hopefully never going back

What could be improved

The ward, where I spent my first two night after being admitted from A&E, was a nightmare. There were about 14 people crammed into one overheated room. The nurses kept my curtains open so they could see how I was doing, but this meant I was in full view of the three men across the (very narrow) aisle from me. Fortunately I was too hot and miserable to be very self-conscious about lying sweating in just a gown in front of male strangers. It was impossible to sleep at night because people were being moved in and out at all hours. The shared toilet was down the hall from the ward and it was filthy.

Nursing care: when I had finally been moved to a better ward, I noticed that the older women who dropped food on themselves were never cleaned up or had their gowns changed. When a nurse made me bleed all over the bed and my arm putting in a new cannula, they didn't clean the blood off or ask anyone else to do it (or change the blood-splashed bedding), even though I was too weak to do it myself.

The food was inedible and unhealthy. If my boyfriend hadn't brought me food every day I would have lost a stone in the Royal Free!

Anything else?

After the first-rate A&E team, the first ward was an unpleasant surprise. Sick people should not be crammed into an overheated mixed-sex ward. Most people in there hadn't been diagnosed yet, and having us so close together probably spread all sorts of illness.DepressionCommunicationFoodOpening hoursProfessionalismTemperatureToiletsWardCleanersNursing staffCleanlinessPatient careBeds

More about:
nhs.uk logo
Do you have a similar story to tell? Tell your story & make a difference ››

Responses

Response from The Royal London Hospital 12 years ago
The Royal London Hospital

Submitted on 03/05/2011 at 11:21
Published on nhs.uk on 04/05/2011 at 04:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to send us your positive comments about the staff you encountered in the A&E department, Royal London Hospital. These will be fed back to the relevant department.

With regards to the conditions of the ward you were admitted to it is hard for us to comment without actually knowing the name of the ward. Please do accept my apologies for the lack of privacy you encountered. Ward managers do try their hardest to segregate wards so that patients are cared for in single sex bays. Again I cannot comment any further without knowing the name of the ward.

If you would like this matter fully investigated please feel free to contact our PALS Department on 020 7943 1335 or email PALS@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk who can give advice on how this can be taken forward.

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Opinions
Next Response j
Previous Response k