Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital Aldermaston Road, Basingstoke RG24 9NA

"My wife spent 3 weeks under a & e then cardio care. All the staff were brilliant. The food was generally good, the hospital is very clean. All in all, we feel very lucky to have this facility in Basingstoke."

"An excellent hospital with generally excellent staff. When I attended the A&E department it was very busy, indeed I got the last chair at the time. I was taken off into a triage/private room three or four times (about a hour apart) for blood pressure readings, blood samples to be taken and their initial thoughts/questions etc to be discussed in private. Overall 5 hours later, after some very obviously more serious patients had been attended to, and the A&E room emptied, I was admitted to a holding ward while a covid test was performed on me. It was positive so I was admitted to the covid ward. I was kept informed regularly of findings and test results. The staff were friendly, and informative despite being very overworked. From my own point of view, it seemed that on the covid ward, not just physically Ill people, but also mentally Ill people are cared for. In my bay (of 6) there were two very confused patients who didn’t know they were in hospital (thought they were at home, or in their truck, or in a pub) and kept calling at the tops of their voices for their wives, their deceased parents. Those same patients walked around the bay waking the other patients, telling them to get dress “the bus leaves in 30 mins), kept trying to leave the ward, were horrendously rude to the hospital staff, including some dreadful racist names - and the staff and patients just had to put up with it, with no powers to use sedatives, or (I know it seem barbaric) physical restraints to keep these confused patients away from others. On more than one occasion, a staff member, who I’m sure had other duties to perform, had to be stationed facing one of the more active, aggressive confused patients for the entire night to reassure them and kept them calm. One such patient even hit a staff member with their metal walking frame and the staff member still carried on professionally caring and calming. These staff deserve a doubling of pay AND a medal. I suspect, if those confused patients didn’t have covid, they would be in a ward with staff, equipment and layout more capable of supporting such specialist cases. I found the hospital to be clean in all areas which I saw, including waiting areas, toilets, shower rooms and wards, unlike some of the rather blinkered reviews on here from months ago. Remember, any room/toilet/waiting area can be visited by someone selfish to leaving things how they found them, just minutes before you visit that place. It only takes a bored kid with a bag of sweets in individual wrappers to make a place look like a tip, in minutes. There was a certain disparity between ward equipment (from a patients point of view) so I suspect there’s ä continuing re-fit program in operation). For example in E4 ward, there are Patient TVs with meal ordering, hospital radio and patient phones on flexible arms wall-mounted by every bed, a bread toaster was available for breakfast options, and blackcurrant squash offered as an alternative to the plain water jugs, which were refreshed/replace regularly. In E3 there were no wall mounted devices for tv/radio/phone and meal ordering, which had to be ordered using pens and paper. Meals were hot, tasty and correct - with the only exception being a Sunday meal which had certain items missing. Overall, does anyone “enjoy” their stay in hospital? Be fair, you’re there because you’re unwell and less than 100%. I know that I was very well cared for, for my entire 12 day/night stay, by staff who had to put up/cope with some quite frankly, disgustingly rude, and physically hostile patients, on long shifts. Those staff could somehow survive a verbally abusive battering, having to change adult nappies/pads and soiled bedding, and turn around and still welcome the next patient enquiry/need with a genuine smile and kind and caring tone. They are underpaid, under appreciated angels."

"Had to take my daughter on new years eve. Staff were so helpful, and professional. We were seen quickly with xray, bloods and a drip plus diagnosis all.being done within 4 hours. Thank you to all staff, doctors, nurses, and admin."

"Probably the quickest I have ever been through A&E. In and out within 2hours, probably closer to 1.5hours! Very professional, very friendly, very helpful, the gentleman that ‘fixed me’ went above and beyond and had a great sense of humour, as did the lady who carried out my x-ray! I don’t plan to go back, but definitely changed the way I view/feel about this hospital."

"Terrible experience for my partner giving birth in there ! Dirty hospital, old blood on ceiling! missed meals, no communication between staff. Midwife did a hand-over as my child’s head was showing and said I’m very sorry my shift ends now and I need to get going!! as my partner was mid push. Disgusting. Terrible service! Most staff, not all Staff..Don’t seem to care for patient's welfare. Going down hill fast. Wouldn’t put my worst enemy in there."