City Hospital

Very warm welcome to covid-19 Vaccine site at Sandwell by Security staff at door, check my ID and ask if I am here for my 2nd dose, Guide me to the admin staff at reception and then ask me to go inside and wait for some one to give me vaccine, It was very quick and easy, Good job

A few months ago my mum was in hospital and she does not speak English and staff at the hospital don't talk to the family to update and my mother didn't know what was happening..

I’m currently 32 weeks pregnant with twins and I’m categorized as having a high risk pregnancy. I’ve done a lot of chasing of health care providers and professionals during my antenatal care. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, I had to attend appointments without my partner, which has been challenging and isolating. In August, I was referred to a specialist emotional care midwife for emotional support about the pregnancy. She referred me to a counsellor, and the next time i saw her she asked if the counsellor had been in touch. When I said no, she explained that they’re probably just very busy. You tend to find, that they give it the talk of what can be done to support you with mental health but underneath there isn’t much action.

Due to the high risk of my pregnancy, at 26 weeks I was told by the maternal medicine unit that I need to be transferred from City Hospital to Birmingham Women’s Hospital. However, the midwife didn’t know how to do the referral and referred me to my doctor, the doctor didn’t know how to do it, then I was referred back to maternal medicine and another midwife there didn’t know how to do it. Nobody got back to me about this. Then at 31 weeks, a different midwife was able to make the referral with a couple of clicks. Now I am being told the transfer is being declined and to reapply for a referral in 3 months, which at this point I will have given birth. I’m having to work with my senior GP to appeal this. On the other hand, I’m being sent appointments that are irrelevant to me.

All of this run around has been so frustrating. You walk out the door after someone has said they will look into a query but you’re the one left having to chase it up and are forgotten about. Midwifes don’t really recommend of post-birth, perinatal information and services which would be helpful, especially for new moms and partners. I was able to do my own research but these should be recommended by midwives to enable people to look for this support. Those in between bits are all missing, unfortunately, to talk about emotions and what you’re going to go through in the future . It’s all been very taxing. These things need to be improved.

Absolutely amazing, can not fault the nurses who seen me at all.

Recently I was admitted for an operation. The consultant was very good and helpful but the nursing staff were very rude and unhelpful. After the operation, I was heavily sedated and needed support but they let me go to the toilet alone. On discharge, no proper letter and aftercare plan was given. I am a diabetic and before the operation my sugar level was not checked.

I went to A&E a year ago because I was directed to do so by the NHS helpline staff, and I was shocked by how dirty and dilapidated the department was and by the lack of information and communication from the staff. A staff member directed me to the wrong waiting area and thereby extended my wait unnecessarily by at least an extra hour.

I went to day surgery unit and was sitting in the recovery area, when a nurse told me that I needed to move to a different area and look at me like I was dirt for asking if they could please take my bag (which we were asked to bring in case we had to be admitted to a ward) because I had been told by another nurse that I must not lift it in case of bursting my stitches.

I had to have day surgery two years ago and my experience was not that good, as they discovered post-surgery that there was a problem with the cannula and I was not getting fluids; this meant that despite being the first person into surgery in the morning, I was the last person to recover sufficiently to be allowed home. During that day, I heard another patient being told that their cannula was also not working; and I witnessed an hour-long 'hunt the drug cupboard key' session in which all of the staff were preoccupied with that rather than the patients' care.

A pea-sized lump emerged from my urethra one morning, with slight bleeding. On phoning my GP the Practice nurse said if it was bleeding go to A&E. I went to our local hospital, City Hospital. I had a moderate but acceptable wait to get into A&E, then a longer wait for someone to come and look. Eventually a doctor came, with a student, took one look at my nether regions, drew back repulsed, (I know I had come before having my morning shower but....) said yuk, didn't know what it was , said it needed attention, to go back to my GP to get booked into a Gynaecology clinic. I knew I would be unable to get a GP appointment till middle of the next week and hence at least 10 days to get a clinic appointment so I pleaded with Doctor if she could book me in, after much reluctance she agreed she would and I would be phoned on Friday. No call on Friday. Saturday the lump was much bigger and turned black, to me with bio-medical experience it had obviously got twisted and blood was accumulating in the lump. Phoned the local emergency doctor number and managed to get an appointment with a local emergency clinic later that morning.

I have been here before, this is a follow up appointment. Treatment has been really good. Staff is very helpful. Waiting time not to bad in treatment centre.