Free-text responses of people with COVID-19 (n=94) on aspects of care that were positive and those that could be improved
| Category | Positive comments | Areas for improvement |
|---|---|---|
| Medical and nursing care | Kind, friendly, supportive and helpful. Honest and straightforward. Professional and knowledgeable. Reassuring. ‘The ward team were there for me.’ ‘I am convinced I would not have survived without the dedication of all the medical staff.’ | Long waits for pain relief. ‘I felt like no staff had time for me.’ |
| Communication | ‘Staff were always reassuring.’ ‘It was evident that there was a clear pathway for my treatment.’ | ‘Being referred to as a room/bed number is dehumanising.’ Diagnoses explained to patients at midnight. Communication difficulties for deaf patients due to face masks. |
| Patient safety | ‘I was admitted quickly.’ ‘I felt safe and comfortable while in hospital.’ | ‘My belongings were lost and never replaced or found.’ Felt unsafe to eat or sleep, with one respondent describing ‘chaos on the ward’. Inadequate briefing and communication prior to discharge. |
| Sleep/wellbeing | Nil | ‘Very difficult to sleep at night on the wards due to lots of noise.’ ‘Noise coming from staff at their workstation overnight.’ ‘The urine bucket wasn’t removed.’ Shallow commode, poor access to toiletries and bin, cold rooms. |
| Food and drink | ‘The cleanliness and food were good.’ ‘Nurses were brilliant. Love them all, as were the cleaners and cooks.’ | ‘Food delivered when I was asleep so was cold when I woke up.’ ‘Never offered food or drink when admitted on ward in evening, until breakfast the next morning.’ Difficult to find personal preference within foods on offer. |
Text in italics reflects verbatim written respondent quotes. Text not in italics is amalgamated from multiple respondents’ feedback.