Croydon University Hospital: Patient 'horrified' during stay

Sarah Hills documented her stay at Croydon University Hospital

A patient recovering on a "run-down" hospital ward has said she was "horrified" by her experience.

Sarah Hills spent five nights at Croydon University Hospital in south London, where she filmed dirty walls, broken radiators and bramble growing through the window.

Rishi Sunak's first official visit as prime minister was to the hospital, a week before Ms Hills was admitted.

The trust said it "would sincerely like to apologise to patients".

Ms Hills, who once worked for the hospital, was admitted on 4 November for an emergency kidney operation. The day after her surgery she was transferred a temporary ward, which Croydon Health Service NHS Trust said was because "demand for our care was exceptionally high".

Once there, she was informed there were no pillows available with "just one thin blanket per bed". Ms Hills says there was no heating on the ward, and the radiators were "stone cold".

Ms Hills said she was "horrified" by the experience

"The blankets were insufficient," she said, which meant she spent one evening "wandering around the hospital in quite considerable pain begging for pillows and blankets from other wards".

In a statement, the trust said that "as soon as we were made aware, we provided extra pillows and blankets, and quickly stopped any draughts on the ward".

A card had to be "rammed" into a "rattling" window

Ms Hills said the "brilliant" nurses were "quite frankly ashamed" about her predicament.

During the night, the patients asked nurses for "as much card and paper as we could find, and we rammed it in the window frames to stop the rattling so that we could try and sleep".

One bathroom had a "full bramble" growing through the "very, very old" window, Ms Hills said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited the hospital on 28 October

Mr Sunak visited Croydon University Hospital on 28 October, when he was told by a patient to "try harder" on NHS staff pay and to "look after" the NHS.

Ms Hills has extended an invitation to the prime minister to visit the ward with her.

Rust was spotted on the temporary ward

She said: "This experience has horrified me at how run-down the NHS has become, and how the staff are battling in such adverse circumstances to do their jobs. I am so sad."

The trust said: "The comfort and care of our patients is our highest concern, and we have spoken at length with the patient to discuss their concerns and the actions we've taken."