My Experience of Hospital Care in England

You hear a lot of people talking about hospital care in the UK all the time, some of it good and some of it bad.

I’ve been in hospital many times over the years for my gynaecological issues as well as fertility treatment and care. I’ve been very lucky to have experienced mostly all positive experiences during my stays and treatments in hospitals in Nottingham.

When I was 21 I had to go to hospital for my first ever operation and I was terrified. It was only supposed to be a small, quick operation but actually it ended up being around six hours long. The staff there were all brilliant the entire time (except for one rather scary, rather grumpy nurse!). My family were told as much as they possibly could be during a scary time for them and were looked after well. During my recovery, all of the nurses and doctors who looked after me were absolutely wonderful.

With all of my future stays in hospital I have also been very happy with my care. For me, the NHS has been bloody wonderful and I’m massively grateful that it exists (for now) in this country.

For my three monthly check-ups and scans that I still have now I always feel like I am getting brilliant care, with really lovely nurses who remember me and really actually care about me and my health. My consultants are all great and happy to spend time discussing things and taking the time to reassure me if necessary. I never feel rushed with them, even though they probably feel like I’m asking stupid questions sometimes!

During the time of my miscarriage earlier this year I once again received brilliant and thorough care and I’m so grateful to them for making it all go as well as it possibly could. I ended up being at hospital many times over a few days and met lots of different staff, all of whom looked after me brilliantly, handled me sensitively and took the time to explain things and be there for me answering my many questions. My care during that time really couldn’t have been better.

One of the times I was there, lying on a bed and I just kept thinking it takes a very special type of person to work in that department. I cannot even imagine how hard it must be treating devastated women constantly as well as dealing with the physical aspects of that job, and staying positive and caring throughout. And yet they all were. They were delicate and lovely and wanted a good outcome for us.

I feel really lucky to have always had great experiences with my medical care, but obviously that isn’t always the case, sadly. I do think it’s important if you do have any problems or issues to speak up about them so that things can improve and medical staff can receive the proper training and support so that patients can be looked after as well as possible.

Poor care, or a wrong diagnosis, can lead to cases of medical negligence. Medical negligence claims can be complex, but a good rule of thumb is that, if you feel that something is wrong or not how you expected it to be, it is best to check.

We have all had some kind of experience with doctors and nurses in our lifetime. For most of us, the experience will have been as pleasant and positive, with our care prioritised. However, sometimes we may experience something that we feel shouldn’t have happened. The quality of our care when being treated can have a significant effect on our everyday life. An incorrect diagnosis, rushed medical advice or wrong treatments can all contribute to unnecessary pain and inconvenience, so it’s important that we speak up if we think something is wrong.