"Lack of urgency in anything the nurses do."

I had an operation at the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham and because of complications was in for seven nights. Fantastic hospital, clean, nice individual rooms, en suite bathrooms etc.

Unfortunately some of the nurses I found were very poor. They would forget what you had asked for the minute they walked out of my room. If someone asks for painkillers, then they are already in pain, or they wouldn't ask. To bring them some 2 hours later when they are sobbing with pain, is unforgiveable.

From what I saw, no-one answered the phone to relatives and no-one answered the patients bells for ages. When going for a scan, I asked if I could drink the litre of dye in my room before going down. It never came so I had to sit in a cold corridor in my dressing gown for an hour and a half, sobbing in pain and retching. When I got back to the ward I had missed lunch. Although I had not eaten for four days, it took 2 hours to get anyone to bring me a sandwich. I had to ask about 5 different people. One night I asked for pain relief and never got it all night.

They are not understaffed. They just have no sense of urgency. They stand around chatting about Weightwatchers not caring that patients in pain are waiting for the drugs trolley to come. This whole experience was torture for me and I couldn't wait to get home.

Also, the food was inedible. If I had to go back in, I would take food, my own painkillers and laxatives. However, think I would rather die than go there again.