"Issue for privacy and wellbeing"

I came into the RD&E, Dart Ward for one week, initially to have my blood pressure monitored and reduced through medication over 5 days in preparation for an operation to remove one of my adrenal glands. 

I have to say that all the staff, whether medical or care staff were brilliant and I can't praise them enough.

What did cause me a major problem though was being on a ward where numerous seriously ill patients, some with dementia, were being cared for, and this severely affected my mental well-being pre and post operation. It wasn't just during the night that I had to deal with this, but for instance on several occasions I was eating meals at my bedside and the doctors were discussing with patients about how they were going to refit their catheters etc. This really I believe is a major issue for the privacy and well-being of your patients.

As far as I was aware there was no where else I could take my meal to eat it away from the ward environment which may have alleviated some of these problems but as somebody who went into hospital, not ill but waiting for a procedure I really did struggle mentally due to this and pre op spent as much time away from the ward within the hospital campus as I could for my own well-being.

I thought it was important to feed this back to you as I am likely not the only person who has experienced this particular issue while spending time in hospital.