A PATIENT who suffered kidney failure has praised the superb care he received at a Worcester hospital after he was treated like one of the family by nursing staff.

John Morgan, aged 71, from Kidderminster, who has suffered with a blood disease for the past 13 years, phoned up the hospital last month after feeling shaky and unwell.

Mr Morgan was admitted to Worcestershire Royal Hospital on August 13 after blood tests revealed complete kidney failure.

He was treated in the new acute medical unit, opened to improve the flow of patients from A&E, and on Avon 1 ward.

He said: “I’ve been at the hospital for three weeks. “Since I’ve been here, everything I’ve seen is excellent.

“The food’s been very good – a roast dinner with pork and gravy on Sunday, with a wonderful pudding. “It’s a shame I can’t eat as much as usual at the moment.

“Visiting is arranged around mealtimes, so you get quiet time when you’re eating. “The staff are very good and the cleanliness is next to none – which is really important on a ward like this because a lot of people are seriously ill.

“Of course, I’d much rather be at home than in hospital, and I’m not saying I haven’t experienced any problems at all.

“But the ward sister comes to talk to me every day, so if there is anything wrong I know I can speak to her.

“Everyone who has dealt with me has been very good and I couldn’t ask for more.”

Avon 1 was chosen to pilot a new clinical leadership model in June. The model has been developed to improve the role of ward sisters by giving them more responsibility over all the patients in their wards.

This involves visiting every patient on a daily basis and making sure every person staying on the ward has been involved in the decisions made about their treatment and discharge.

Ward sister Ruth Warren said: “We have a philosophy on this ward that our patients are treated as an extension of our family.”