"Eye opening"

What I liked

I had spinal surgery in July 2011. Although most of my experience at QMC was positive, as a nurse it was shocking to have been on the other end of the bed! The positives - the consultant and team were brilliant - kept me up to date and allowed 2 way discussions, the outpatient team again was very effective and professional, the day assessment unit - no fault. My inpt stay could have been improved - the pre surgery assessment documents were either not in my notes or they were not read as I actually answered all the questions on 3 separate occasions on the day. My fiance was directed to an empty bedspace for 2.5 hrs - I was already transferred to the ward before he arrived but no one seemed to know of my existence when he got there. Nurse then tried to flush my cannula - despite a 5 cm long clot in the IV line - needless to say I asked for him to stop!Pain relief on the first day wasn't a particular issue - asked and I was given it - though observations were performed, I was never told of them - even though some were not within normal limits. My night nurse was brilliant. Day 2 proved very frustrating as I did not receive analgesia for 2.5 hrs after asking - talking morphine now - as the nurse went on a cigarette break and obv forgot when she came back. Then she dared to imply that I would not be having morphine at home - was on morphine for 5 mths prior to surgery and another month after surgery. Ward doctor only saw me to ask if I was happy to go home - by then I had removed my own cannula as the nurse didn't come back to do so , had my own medicines at home so thankfully didn't need to stay for TTO's.

I would recommend this hospital only because some services are not offered by my local NHS hospital authority.

What could be improved

Attention to patient care - yes everywhere is short staffed but there is a way for each shift to manage this - I have worked on a busy medical/surgical unit for 10 years. Alert staff that social conversations can be overheard by patients - this is not a call for silence but when a patient asks for something , saying you are busy then stopping to have a 10 mins social chat with colleague then going off for a cigarette break is unacceptable and so is coming back smelling of cigarettes!

The general cleanliness of the ward - dust in corners of the toilet and bedspace and bed side furniture.

Somehow have a way to let all staff know of where patients are situated on the ward - so no visitor has to sit in the wrong empty bed space for 2.5 hrs.