Watford General Hospital 2018-03-17 Person 1 5 0

My very elderly mother was admitted via A&E and two other locations to Gade ward. With the exception of A&E, where more senior staff did seem to have some skills but were deeply disorganised, the culture in this hospital is one of callousness and of indifference to pain or distress. I found the staff to be lazy and uncaring to the point of cruelty. I was also horrified by a lack of basic understanding and of communication skills, both between staff and with patients and carers. A small but significant example of the lack of care: my mother, who was very poorly and has since died, was unable to eat unaided (although very hungry); an unopened plastic pot of vegetable dhal was plonked on the table in front of her and later removed untouched without question or comment by a staff member who did not look at her or speak to her. When I asked for details of her medication, the staff member was unable to pronounce the name of the drug or tell me what it was for. Everybody associated with this hospital should be deeply ashamed of themselves and of what is going on here. We all know that the NHS is stretched to breaking point, but for God's sake, people, show a little kindness and humanity - it goes a very long way.