"I hope never to relive this experience,..."

What I liked

Going into hospital is not somewhere where the question 'What I liked' really applies, other than you hope that the problem you are admitted for is either cured, or you feel better (free from pain or discomfort) or, at the very least, an improvement to your complaint, hence, I cannot see any other reason to 'like' anything regards going into hospital.

What could be improved

My experiences and utter disbelief re: my visit to Cheerful Sparrows Ward in the QEQM hospital, is the poor response relating to the lack of maintenance and urgency needed relating to blocked drains in bathrooms and the disgraceful state of toilet bowl overflows, brushes & brush holders. The bathroom toilet in the multi-occupied ward was unusable when I following a patient who had just showered, due to flooding from a blocked shower drain that had flowed back into the bathroom, this is extremely difficult when requiring a toilet with urgency, moreso having been admitted with a bowel disorder. When I explained 'my plight' to a passing nurse, her comment was ' we know, and we are waiting for it to be fixed'. For reasons not related I was transfered to a side ward that day, with en-suite facilities. On showering the next morning the same thing happened with the outlet drain overflowing with filthly objects etc , this time right out into the bedroom area and into the main corridoor. Once more, I was put yet into another side ward, now my third transfere of bed accommodation. I had announced that I was discharging myself in fear of contracting who knows what infections, and leaving with more problems than I had entered with. I now visit the bathroom in this 3rd room and to my dismay/horror witness the toilet overflow sited inside the front of the bowl in a disgraceful state of uncleanliness, which I reported, & a poor effort to put this matter right was attempted.

There is absolutely no excuse for our hospitals, (where we put our trust) to get into such a state of disrepair, where drains are back-flowing and toilets not scrupulously cleaned to the highest level of expectancy, it is no wonder patients leave with infections, sometimes with fatal consequences.

Anything else?

I have ongoing health issues and have been advised to avoid area's where I may be at risk to infection. Being admitted to hospital through A&E is not a given choice, and of course one is aware that infection from other sick patients is a possibility, however, we should not be in fear of infection because our wards and other facilities are not promptly maintained and 'domestic personnel' perform their duties to the highest possible standards.