The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) carries out outpatient appointments, day procedures and inpatient admissions. Patients are predominantly from Norfolk and north Suffolk, although some patients are referred from further afield especially to access specialist services.
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1999 responses from the local community
I'd give it 11 out of 10!
5
Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff25th October 2024
I went in with an intense rib pain and I was there the whole day but they were incredible, eleven out of ten marks! On a previous occasion the ticket machine wasn't working and nobody told me there was another one around the corner so I slipped further down the queue. Also somebody came and cleaned the floor then three minutes later somebody else came through a different door and cleaned the same floor. Plenty of goodwill but I sensed a breakdown in communication. It's because there's no ward sister present anymore, nobody has an overview.
Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff25th October 2024
I've just spent time in hospital and observing the nurses I realised that they really care and do their best. They don't quite understand hygiene though. They put rubber gloves on and then touch lots of different things all over the ward, then the next nurse does the same. They should make a video where nurses are filmed in an area where items have red dots on and then they're shown all the things they've touched. Also when patients stay in overnight, it's a good opportunity for nurses to identify people who have sleep apnoea but are unaware. They could then get the correct treatment and save the NHS money in the long-run because of all the issues sleep apnoea can cause. Nurses aren't paid enough and are overworked but they're bloody lovely people.
Submitted by Healthwatch Norfolk staff on behalf of patient24th October 2024
I was taken in to A&E with a terrible headache. I had to wait over four hours and I think I had a scan but I was quite spaced out. My husband joined later and couldn't believe that I had not been given any fluids. Eventually I was discharged to the eye clinic as the doctor in A&E ruled out a stroke. A nurse even said that she thought I had dementia which I thought was awful of her. I went to see someone in the eye clinic and they could not believe that I had been discharged from A&E so they rang through and got me back into a bay in A&E. Once back there my husband insisted to a doctor that I was dehydrated. Once put on a drip I felt so much better! But we could not believe that this hadn't happened sooner or even been spotted initially. How could this have happened?
Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff21st October 2024
The maternity ward are obviously strapped for staff. They told me I wasn't in labour but my baby was coming out. I was begging for pain relief but they wouldn't believe me and wouldn't check. It was only because a student midwife was told to examine me for practice that she then spotted the baby's head! I think they just hadn't wanted to acknowledge it as they were short-staffed. I understood why it happened but the experience was horrible. All my scans and everything were wonderful, and they were lovely with us after she was born.
Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff21st October 2024
During my post-birth baby checks I was told they couldn't find a pulse in my baby's legs and I'd have to see a NICU consultant the next day. No explanation was given so I Googled which panicked me. I begged to speak to anybody at all about it and they ignored me. People walked past me leaving me in tears. The next day the NICU consultant found nothing was wrong but I'd been left for 14 hours thinking there was!
Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff21st October 2024
The hospital needs more capacity for tongue-tie ops. There's only two people who can do it so they tend to ask you to go privately. I couldn't feed my baby, they were screaming and dropping weight, and I was told it would be 7-10 days before they could do anything. I escalated it and pushed to get seen but other mums who may not feel able to do this might just end up bottle-feeding when this isn't what they'd wanted to do. I experienced this with all three of my children over the last five years.
Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff21st October 2024
If I'd been the queen I couldn't have been treated faster or more efficiently. I was so impressed. In truth it was because it was a quiet morning but it couldn't be beaten. The receptionist spoke to me straight away then once my blood pressure and heart rate was taken, I was immediately seen by multiple doctors and taken to resus.
Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff18th October 2024
It's been good, I feel like my baby's been taken care of when I couldn't. If I ask questions I will get clear answers. If I need help with anything regards me or my baby I get it. Overall it's been good. I was here 5 years ago and it was the same experience. As a mother you feel supported. They're doing the best they could do.
Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff18th October 2024
The whole experience has been amazing, it's surpassed our expectations of an NHS service. The nurses don't stop moving for their whole shift but still check on you all the time, asking whether we've eaten when I know they haven't taken a break. I've felt like we've been the only parents here as they make you feel like it's one-to-one care. We met the whole operating team for my baby which was reassuring. This has been the hardest thing I've gone through and it's thanks to the nurses that I'm semi-sane. They've been my support network, like family. Every single one of them is fighting for you and your baby. Even ones that aren't assigned to my baby know all about her and our story so it feels more like a community. They all take note of what's going on around them. You can see how the nurses talk to and about the babies when parents aren't around, they really do care, it isn't for show. They're so thorough how they check everything, they do everything in pairs which makes me think the safety aspect is high on here and there's little room for error. I don't leave my children with anybody, even people I know, but it's all those things that built my trust and I had no doubts whatsoever leaving my baby with them. Kate, Sam and Alex have gone above and beyond and it's thanks to them we're going home today. Nobody passes you without checking if there's anything you need, Lindsay and the domestic team also do this and even the surgeon who operated on my baby came to say goodbye. Every box is ticked so the only thing I need to think about is how my baby's doing because they've thought of everything else. They're superheroes, I don't even know how they do it all!
My partner has felt included as a dad and the bedroom has been a safe haven for us. The family room is so thoughtful that they've provided that, it's always clean and is a welcoming space. My daughter didn't want to leave! You can see the toys are clean in there so it's another thing you don't have to worry about.
We've got lots of appointments booked for follow-ups too. There's nothing negative to say. I can't say it's been nice, it's not something I'd ever want to do again but we've been fortunate. It's changed my idea of what an NHS experience is and I'd give it 5++++ stars if I could.
Submitted by collected by Healthwatch Norfolk staff18th October 2024
It's been really, really good. The staff are really good. The c-section went well, there was no pain during it and I'm getting some stronger meds now. Everything has been explained. They're doing their best, everything has been wonderful.