Ysbyty Gwynedd 2016-07-01 Person 3 5 0

A mixed experience following a recent 4 day admission for an acute kidney infection and symptoms of sepsis. My initial experience with the admissions ward, Gogarth was abysmal. I was shown to a bed promptly however was then ignored for over an hour despite attempting to gain the nurses attention on several occasions. Thankfully I had brought a bottle of water with me as I was not offered any at all by the ward staff during this wait. Having grown weary of trying to gain the attention of staff members, I gave up and returned to bed where I was eventually acknowledged by a nurse who stated that she didn't even know I was there. Nevertheless I felt relieved at this point as I frankly felt disgustingly ill so was glad to get the ball rolling with regard to treatment. But alas, I was then subjected to the most frustrating experience of being forgotten about and constantly having to enquire as to what was happening... or not happening as it were. I ended up taking my own paracetamol and tramadol in the end as I was left to it for - and I kid you not - 7 hours before seeing a doctor, despite being very unwell and urgently requiring IV antibiotics. I fully appreciate that they have other patients to treat and that you can't just been seen at the drop of a hat, but felt that this was unacceptable. Some of the nursing staff were frankly rude and abrupt, and couldn't have been less helpful if they tried. I hate saying that and appreciate they are very busy and work in a pressured environment, but they really were quite hostile on occasions. The next morning after change over things did improve, and I have to say that I felt sorry for the poor nurse who took over as she appeared to be running around like a headless chicken in an attempt to sort out everything that hadn't been addressed overnight. I must add that she was lovely which was most welcome after my experience with the night staff. One of the Doctors who saw me the same morning also curiously elected to switch my antibiotics from IV to oral, much to my own bemusement and that of the next Doctor (on the Aran ward) who attended my care and immediately switched back to IV given that my infection markers were apparently "through the roof" Thankfully I was moved to Aran ward in the early afternoon which was the complete opposite of my time on Gogarth. The nurses and health care assistants were all pleasant and helpful, and really seemed to care about patients. During the night I was very poorly with pain and severe fever, and despite being rushed off their feet, the nurse in charge and a HCA were still very attentive and took great care of me throughout the night. The ward Doctor was also a really nice guy, very considerate and thankfully (as mentioned above) prescribed the correct treatment. Everything ran smoothly with regard to medications, repeat tests, scans etc which is testament to the good organisation maintained by the staff. I must however criticise the cleanliness, which although overall wasn't too bad, the shower really could have done with a good scrub which I was less than impressed with. The food was also bordering on being inedible therefore I was pleased to have virtually no appetite during my stay. To be frank I would quite happily make a small financial contribution towards hospital meals to help raise the catering budget and improve meal quality. Overall I had a good experience at YG taking all aspects into account. Had it not have been for the appalling overnight stay on Gogarth I would probably rate my admission as excellent. I must also commend the NHS, which despite it's flaws is there for you when you need it. To walk out without paying a penny after receiving all of my care from medical staff, medications, x-rays, ultrasound scans, an ECG plus countless blood and urine tests really proves that it's an institution worth fighting for.