"Corridor was my room"

I arrived to Sir Charlies approximately after midnight one morning as a patient transfer from another hospital. Following four days of care, late at night recently, I was told that I might be getting moved, however, the nurses were not sure. Since I had also been moved the night before with no warning, I decided to start slowly organising my personal belongings.

My system was still settling from four days of no food and clear fluids so my first priority was the toilet. On my way to the toilet, I saw an Orderly waiting at my room door. I asked if they were waiting to move me, they replied they were waiting to see if my area was cleaned yet ready for the next patient, it was only at that moment I realised that I was actually moving. I got back to my bed and started packing up my belongings, when someone arrived to move me. In the end, I have to just throw all my belongings on my bed, I was then wheeled off to another room.

I had asked where I was going and the Orderly told me to I was going to a different Ward. As we arrived to the nurses' station, the Orderly asked where I was going and I was directed down to the far end of a corridor. I was shocked and appalled as my bed was placed at the end of this corridor with a table and draws setup already. I felt there was no privacy, there was no nurse assigned to me, there were no emergency nurse button or any required medical equipment that should be present in a hospital room. At that point I was left wondering how concerned the hospital must be about my health, in my opinion, you can’t treat patients in a corridor. My health is the most important thing I have and Í am angered that the hospital does not value my health as much as I do, despite the posters everywhere stating ‘Patients Comes First’, I guess it just depends which patients.

Following being placed in a corridor, a nurse came to see me, they kindly got me a half partition to give me some privacy. I voiced my concern and they informed me there was no knowing how long I would be there and that there were at least five other patients in corridors waiting at the moment.

Earlier than evening after days of no food, very little sleep and going through uncomfortable and painful procedures, I was told I could finally have a proper meal that night after 8 pm. I was told I could hold my dinner in the fridge and reheat it, however, when my food was delivered I was informed that I wasn’t allowed to do that either. Consequently, I was left with no food and nurses hadn’t followed up any additional food for me for after 8 pm. I had to arrange my own food which my spouse brought to me.

The fact that I was moved into a corridor without appropriate privacy or even a nurse call button at minimum should an unforeseen medical situation arise, suggests that in my opinion, ‘Patients Comes First’ is a work in progress and there is still a long way to go. Laying in that corridor I realised my health was definitely not on the hospital's priority and I packed up my belongings and asked my spouse to come and collect me. We live almost an hour away and they were in hospital visiting with me only a few hours earlier.

I am very disappointed and angered by how my experience ended.