IN response to your recent article about the discharge hub at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, I have had experience of this facility twice this year and was far from impressed on each occasion.

This so-called lounge is not a very welcoming place to be after having a surgical procedure, with patients waiting as long as six hours.

If patients were given a prescription to obtain their medicines from an outside pharmacy, this would almost certainly speed things up.

I waited for four-and-a-half hours after leaving the ward.

This was after the consultant said I could be at risk of infection if I was in hospital for too long.

I had to don my dressing gown due to the cold while not feeling too great sitting on what was not a very comfortable chair.

I can see the need to free up beds but patients differ and that needs to be recognised, from one night stopovers or less and more lengthy spells.

Therefore before the powers that be start backslapping on how they are setting new horizons, they must consider patients first.

This discharge lounge is not ideal and I for one will refuse this facility if I am ever in the hospital again.

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