West Suffolk Hospital

I was prescribed steroid medication but the description on the label was misleading and I took them incorrectly to how they should have been taken. This was concerning as it could have been dangerous.

I was booked to go to A & E by the 111 service following a cat bite which had caused my finger to be red and glowing and look like a light bulb in shape. I was met by a receptionist and passed to a doctor and then on to another doctor who wrote me a prescription, the whole trip to A & E took less that a quarter of an hour. This took place during the doctors strike.

Two admissions to the hospital via ambulance about 6 weeks apart. ED was extremely busy and the nurses rushed off their feet - they all did their best and were (with just one exception) caring and kind.

Cardiology ward was outstanding. It was clean and well run. Pain was managed really well. Patients were given medications on time and there was always a nurse on hand to answer any questions patients had about planned procedures. Patient comfort was their top priority and unlike the medical ward they didn’t make you feel like an inconvenience or a waste of time if you needed help.

Everyone in my bay was washed or helped to the bathroom at appropriate times, so we could feel put on fresh PJ’s etc. Nurses made certain everyone had an appropriate meal at the right time and if someone wasn’t hungry at that point, they put something aside in case they were hungry later. When it came to procedures I felt the doctors included me in their treatment plan, and they didn’t rush anything when it came to the details of what the procedure would involve. The attentiveness and support didn’t end on discharge either. I was called the next week to check in on how I was doing and if I rang the ward with a question, someone always listened, didn’t make me feel stupid and went through it with me. I cannot speak highly enough of the cardiology ward - the whole team were truly brilliant and I feel very lucky to have been looked after by them.

Fast forward a few weeks and I was back in ED because GP called an ambulance. ED was the same as the previous visit. This time I was admitted under the medics. A horrific experience. I was told by the consultant that I was wasting their time because I wanted to discuss a discharge plan which would ensure (as far as possible) that I wasn’t brought back to ED. A nurse told me it wasn’t their job to speak to PALS. In 2 days I was offered just one meal because I was moved from place to place before getting a bed, and if the new place had already eaten, no one checked to see if you had eaten where you had come from - the upshot is that I (and others) just went hungry.

I didn’t appreciate how badly I had hurt myself in the fall which brought me in to hospital - this was because unfortunately the bathroom in ED had a wet floor and I don’t think it was water either, so I didn’t want to wash and change in there. There were no other facilities for a patient to use (e.g. to wash, brush teeth, change clothes etc). I asked a nurse if there was somewhere I could go, and she told me she would come back, but she never did. I know it was only 2 days, but in this day and age there should be enough clean bathrooms. As a result, I wasn’t able to change my clothes so the pain I assumed was cramp from being on a trolley for 28 hours was in fact very significant bruising!

Once I was moved to a ward, the culture difference to the cardiology ward could not be more stark. The staff spent most of the time moaning to each other about how “this, that and the other” wasn’t their job and consequently nothing got done. If you are paid by the NHS and you aren’t immediately engaged with another task, I don’t care whose job it should be … if it is something you can do, get on and do it, and stop moaning! Patients are feeling human beings and if you think you’re too senior to help them to the bathroom, or bring them something to eat, its time to find another career path. I tried to escalate to PALS. They are simply unfit for purpose.

Cardiology, however, truly brilliant and are the model all other wards should follow!

Excellent in accommodating appointment change, short wait at appointment, friendly and professional staff

Access to the Macmillan nurse was wonderful and so supportive. The care when I was in hospital was all great and I liked that they talk to me straight and were honest about the treatment options.

I've been having regular chemo and I really can't complain, there's a nice new clinic and the staff are great but it does feel short staffed at times.

After an emergency appointment late in the day at my surgery I was sent straight to the Eye clinic. I was in the clinic until 6pm and also needed bloods to be done urgently but because the phlebotomy department was closed the only option available was for me to go down to A&E for them which at first staff were confused by. I was then told that I would need to wait at least 5hrs for them to be done so decided to go home and return the following day.

A scary situation for me and my wife. The team eased our fears showing great kindness, care and reassurance. One member of staff stayed in contact with my wife who could not travel with me to update and comfort her. I cannot thank them enough for their efforts to keep my spirits good, they are a credit to the emergency service and an inspiration in carrying out heavy, dangerous work that few of us could cope with day after day. Thanks again from both of us.
The excellent care continued with fast and effective treatment from the emergency admissions team who restored me to health in days with their thorough testing and fine tuning of medications. Everyone from foot soldiers, nurses and the brainbox consultants treated my case with respect and compassion. I must say thank you to everyone for giving us a few more active years together, your efforts are deeply appreciated.

The meals I had during my stay in hospital were very bland with no taste but the care was good and investigations including scans were done very quickly.

I'm regularly monitored by the team at the hospital and everything is great other than the fact my local surgery is unable to send blood test results across to the hospital and it means I have to travel here to have blood tests done.