The Royal London Hospital 2018-10-06 Person 4 5 0

The medical and nursing staff on this ward went far beyond their job specification. They were super sensitive to my needs. There are some problems with the catering service: many times not getting what I ordered, inconsistent ordering times i.e. one day ordering the next meal after finishing breakfast and then ordering the next meal after lunch, the next day ordering all meals after breakfast, some meals being cold. In one case the Chili Con Carne and rice was over cooked to the point that the meat and sauce was burnt and the rice was a solid lump that I could not break up. It was inedible. Some of the catering staff were in such a rush that they did not have time to say what was available. My discharge process was appalling. It was known on Wednesday that I was going to be discharged on Friday. The request, to the pharmacy, for my medicines to be issued was at 13:00. My wife gave up her room at the hospital hostel and we proceeded to get ready to leave. We live in Dovercourt on the East coast of Essex about 80 miles or so from London and had to travel by train from Liverpool St station. There were three items of medicine to be dispensed but they were not dispensed on the Friday. This caused a great deal of stress for my wife and I. Where was my wife going to stay overnight? The excellent nursing staff showed their compassion and found a place for my wife. Eventually the meds were delivered to the ward and we were able to leave at 07:00 on 06/10/2018, Saturday morning. The constructive criticism? The discharge process needs to be changed to improve its efficacy as it is it causes stress and bed blocking.