Kent and Canterbury Hospital

Kent and Canterbury Hospital 2017-01-12 Person 4 5 0

My appointment in Out Patients went well except that the Doctor signed my prescription and didn't date it the pharmacy in Whitstable said they were unable to make it up and I had to go back to the Hospital or my GP to get it dated and counter signed not a problem for me but what about some one with no transport and elderly please be a bit more careful when writing prescriptions other than that I was out within an hour and two appointments. Well done Ear Nose and Throat Dept.

Kent and Canterbury Hospital 2016-10-21 Person 5 5 0

Admitted by ambulance to AMU and kept in overnight. "Parked" in Marlowe Ward as no bed space available in AMU. Staff there very nice and kind - as always - as I have been hospitalised quite a few times over the last 7 weeks. Admitted due to having violent upper body convulsions whilst seated at home. Seen by Dr Baht (from AMU) who made a clear diagnosis and prescribed a course of antibiotics. This was my first ever experience of body convulsions and I found it quite scary. Trust this is not too much information. Further background - I am actually a Cardiology patient and awaiting, I think, a pacemaker to be fitted. It cannot happen soon enough as I am now virtually housebound and have practically no energy.

Kent and Canterbury Hospital 2016-10-06 Person 4 5 0

I was seen at Maidstone renal unit by Mr Shah and Tina from Home dialysis this was not available in options so you need to get that sorted . Care is good from a small unit of specialist Nurses and Mr Shah who is good at explaining things so you can understand and always is followed up by letter . still cant understand why the main renal unit for Kent is not in Maidstone as this is where most of the population is situated . also when attending Canterbury apart from the 80 mile trip and about 1 1/2 hrs travelling is the car parking charges to add insult to injury. this needs to be sorted

Kent and Canterbury Hospital 2016-08-19 Person 2 5 0

Sadly we,experienced multiple errors on this ward,including Chemotherapy either missed or nearly given twice. In each case patient awareness and insistence (despite staff insistence!) prevented this. Very poor approach regarding resuscitation discussion and patient inclusion. My husband who replied that he would like to be resuscitated was told "given your co-morbidity we wouldn't resuscitate. It's a medical decision" one was left wondering why the question was asked and also left feeling very unsafe. My husband felt pressured to take sleeping medication. When he asked the doctor if this was necessary he replied "most patients on this ward are on it" The healthcare assistant in the doorway added " too true, else our buzzers are going all night" I believe patients should be prescribed medication according to their individual condition and needs, not because other patients are receiving it. I also worry that patients are being sedated to accommodate staff convenience. Later after 8 weeks in Guys and a return to Brabourne vital medication was missed resulting in a 3 day stay. This was acknowledged. We also found an inflexible approach to the way blood transfusions were given and Frusimide. Only after a recommendation from Prof. Harrison at Guys were staff prepared to give blood more slowly and Frusimide via diluted drip rather than push syringe. The Doctor insisted it made no difference whereas Guys recognised the need to adjust according to the patients ability to tolerate.Also Guys recommended no more than one unit at a time whereas my husband was being given two. It worries me that this doctor may still believe It makes no difference. After a return to Guys, sadly my husband died in August under their excellent care. It has been impossible not to compare the two styles of care. At all times in Guys my husband was included in discussions about his care. Handovers were done at each bed with the patient included. Consultants visited their patients on the ward and worked collaboratively with ward doctors and staff for the benefit of the patient. The whole experience was one of care, respect, sensitivity and inclusion whereas sadly at Canterbury one felt one was being 'treated' by 'those who knew best' The whole issue of resuscitation was handled so sensitively at Guys with resuscitation procedures being explained right through to life support so that considering all, the patient could make an informed choice which was respected. My husband opted for resuscitation if it was purposeful and at a reasonable level, but declined life support on the basis that it would leave his family to make decisions with doctors to discontinue. The day before my husband died it was recognised that the 3 X chemotherapy drugs were unable to prevent the escalation of his Leukaemia. The Doctor sat with us and explained very carefully the principle of doing good and preventing harm. Clearly no good was coming from the treatment and side effects amounted to a degree of harm. Even then my husband was allowed to say he was happy for 1 chemo to be dropped but wished to remain on the other 2. He died with his Cytarabine attached. I am greatly endebted to Guys for respecting my husband's psychological pace in this. When my husband explained that his reason was because over his 8 week stay these were the 2 drugs that had managed to stabilise him enough for a few days at home (albeit in and out KCH for transfusions and the 3 day stay) The doctor gently replied " that's fine, lets give it one more chance! " I hope some of what I have shared may be of help to future patients. I would also like to add that our experience with the Haemotology team over the preceding 3 years at KCH was excellent. The care was superb and I appreciate greatly their ability to recognise the complexity of my husband's two rare Leukaema conditions and refer him on to Prof. Claire Harrison at Guys.

Kent and Canterbury Hospital 2016-06-29 Person 4 5 0

Overall care was at a high standard but did feel a little bit odd when being swapped from day care to acute care overnight as if I should not have been there and was practically ignored. long periods of time staff went missing and seemed to take ages to do anything

Kent and Canterbury Hospital 2016-05-25 Person 5 5 0

All staff were very friendly and informative

Kent and Canterbury Hospital 2016-04-14 Person 4 5 0

The staff were all lovely people who did their very best to keep me as comfortable as possible.

Kent and Canterbury Hospital 2015-10-21 Person 5 5 0

Clark ward is a very busy excellent well run department. The staff are very busy but make time for each patient. We all arrive nervous and maybe even frightened but everyone and I mean everyone makes the time to help and relax you prior to operations and treatment Each time you meet a member of staff you feel they are in part of a team nothing seems too much trouble. I appreciate that not everyone works directly for the nhs but they seem to understand they have a role to play I cannot speak too highly of the staff at Clark ward. I hope that politicians,who I would not let run me a bath let lone my nhs, let dedicated people like I have met get on with theirs jobs .andletheir care and treatment of people like they have

Kent and Canterbury Hospital 2015-09-21 Person 5 5 0

I was a day patient in Clarke ward for a prostrate biopsy and was so impressed with the smooth, efficient, and pleasant way in which my short stay was organised. Everybody from booking in, to the nurses, to all of the theatre staff were extremely professional, friendly and helpful, and did everything they could to explain what was going to happen and to answer my questions. The day ward was bright and cheerful, extremely clean and well maintained. All in all I had a very pleasant experience in Clarke ward. A big thank you to everyone.

Kent and Canterbury Hospital 2015-09-13 Person 5 5 0

ALL Staff are very friendly, and approachable. From Dr's and Nurses to caterers and cleaners. Dr's talk in plain english rather than industry jargon, which as a patient, made it easy to understand what was happening and what the processes were. I was fortunate to be in a side room so had access to my own television. I do feel that the whole ward needs personal tv's and access to Hospital Wifi, as I spent a lot of money using an internet dongle to connect to the outside world. The food was amazing, and the menu offered a massive choice for all different kinds of tastes.