Image courtesy of http://englishrussia.com/2012/04/19/abandoned-maternity-hospital/
For today's post I wanted to talk about where the NHS could make changes based upon my own experiences of being in hospital, and I thought I'd have a long list of things to discuss. But, actually, the more I thought about it, the more it just came down to the one thing.

I've spoken about my experiences of being in hospital before, so I won't go in to too much detail again.

My first laparoscopy was a quick outpatient procedure so I was only in for the day. The staff were excellent, made you feel very comfortable and made sure you had everything you needed.

For my next surgery, which was my laser surgery and adesiology to remove endometriosis from my ovaries and Douglas pouch, I was operated on at a different hospital and I had a terrible experience. Like I mentioned, I've written about it before so I won't rehash everything again, lets just say that it winds me up thinking about it. When you are feeling at your very worst, especially after a major surgery, you want to be looked after - be given adequate pain relief, some food, a change of bedding since it was covered in blood and a little help to get to the toilet. But nope, I didn't get any of that - 3 days, I was in there and it was horrible.

My last surgery in May this year, my second laparoscopy, was at a different hospital again, and luckily my future surgeries will also be here. The nurses were absolutely fantastic from the moment I arrived until the moment I left and that's the only thing I'm seeing as any comfort for when I have to go back in to hospital in January (I'm trying not to think about my operation because it scares me!). At least I'll be in good hands with people who care about their patients and obviously about their work.

And that's what it all comes down to. I know nurses are underpaid and over worked and short staffed, but when it comes down to it, they have a responsibility to care for those people in their wards and make them feel comfortable - and at least do the basics of their job. I know everyone has their bad days and that most people don't enjoy their jobs, but the patients need to just be given a little more care and attention. A smile. Anything. The hospital I went in to this year is about 10 minutes up the road from the last hospital and the difference in quality of care was unbelievable. They offered me things to relieve the pain, gave me cups of tea and food, helped me get to the toilet and helped me get dressed. They talked to me. They checked on patients regularly and you never saw them having a gossip down the hall way when you needed something.

All I want, is some care from the people who are meant to be giving it to me and other patients. That isn't too much to ask for - surely?

S.