Hospital Spotlight

'I've got nothing but praise for YDH'

PRAISE has been heaped on the nursing staff at York District Hospital by some former patients.

Freda Thompson, 73, of Heslington Lane, York, said she was admitted as an emergency patient after suffering heart problems.

She said: "From the very start, when the 999 call was made, right until I came out of hospital, I had wonderful care.

"The nursing staff were friendly, but very professional - the whole lot were wonderful.

"I was also in YDH seven years ago and this time I noticed a vast improvement, with both the nursing staff and the food. The food was excellent compared to what it was.

"The cleanliness in coronary care was marvellous, but when I was out on the other ward I didn't like to use the toilets.

"I would wash my hands and not be very happy about touching the handle to open the toilet door. It was smelly and not very nice. The lifts were the same.

"That wasn't the nursing staff's fault, they were wonderful and I get cross when people talk down about them."

Pauline Mawtus, 72, of Hillcrest Avenue, Nether Poppleton, York, collapsed at home and was taken in by ambulance. She said: "I was put onto coronary care, they were superb, you couldn't fault them - there isn't a weak link in there.

"I'm a trained nurse with many years' experience so I know what I'm talking about.

"From a week in there, I was transferred to Ward 35 and again all the staff there were absolutely faultless."

And John Smith, 61, of Kirkcroft, Wigginton, said: "I've got nothing but praise for the York Health Services NHS Trust. They saved my life in 1980 when I had a brain tumour and they did further fantastic work in 1985 when I had heart problems.

"My wife says that I look forward to going to hospital because it's the only time she sees me with a smile on my face - I've got nothing but praise for them, the nurses, the doctors, my GP.

"Most people are very down when they go into hospital and they notice the bad things more than the good things."

'The toilets hadn't been touched by the cleaners'

'MY MUM'S spirit just died in the hospital," said Haxby woman Carol Cook, after her 66-year-old mother spent two weeks on a ward. She claimed that staff shortages were so bad that her cancer-stricken mother, who did not want to be named, was not given the attention that she deserved.

Mrs Cook said: "She would ask nurses if she could have a bath or if they could take her to the toilet but they always said they didn't have time. One time she was left on a commode for almost an hour without anyone to help her.

"In the end she asked for a catheter so she didn't have to bother anybody.

"Her illness was progressing and she went to St Leonard's Hospice for a few weeks and it was a totally different experience. She got her spirit back so much that she's at home now.

"There's a lot of good things going on in that hospital and I don't mean to slate it because the specialist wards are excellent, but for my mother it was totally demoralising."

Ted Dickson, 77, of Haxby, said he spent two nights on the wards last month and was horrified by the poor cleaning standards.

He said: "I was appalled to see staff nurses mopping floors. I think it was disgusting that they had to do it.

"In the two days I was in there the toilets hadn't been touched by the cleaners.

"When I went in there was excrement dried on the floor. One of the nurses was so angry she got the mop and bucket out herself.

"She said she was fed up coming on duty and seeing it like that.

"I would like to thank the nursing staff, they couldn't have been more caring."

'We aim to meet the needs of our patients'

SIMON Pleydell, Chief Executive of York Health Services NHS Trust, responds to patients' views

'We receive far more positive feedback than we do complaints - for example in the last six months, we received 424 thank-you letters and cards.

"And we know this is just the tip of the iceberg as these are just the ones we know about. In addition we had 116 positive comments from our feedback cards and leaflets.

"Our staff are also encouraged by the many letters of praise which are published in the Evening Press on a regular basis - we always appreciate the kind comments of those people who we have helped.

"Equally, it is sometimes very stressful and upsetting and always incredibly difficult for staff when they receive a complaint from someone who is not happy with our service, or indeed to read about their dissatisfaction first in the local press, as they are genuinely trying to give of their best.

"We always have to respect the confidentiality of our patients and so cannot dispute any allegations through the media. We would prefer people to contact us directly with any concerns, or better still, to speak to our staff or Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS) which can be contacted on 01904 726262.

"In this way we can talk through their concerns with them directly.

"We have contacted Mr Dickson and Mrs Cook directly and spoken to them regarding their concerns. We have had very positive conversations with them and hope we have managed to allay their anxieties.

"Two of our core aims are to meet the needs and preferences of our patients and to continually seek to improve service.

"As part of this we have been looking at how we handle complaints. A recent survey of complainants highlighted some areas which could be improved - we know that we handle some complaints very well and some not so well so we will be taking rigorous action to raise standards in this area."

Updated: 10:33 Thursday, December 12, 2002