A female hospital patient I have had a lot of hospital experiences, mostly bad. I have seen a young woman die on the hospital floor beside my bed. I will never forget it.

She cried for help all night long. The junior nurse that was on call told me not to call her for this patient as there were no cancer people on that night.

After she died, the very next morning a nun came running in with candles and a cross. I just could not believe it.

Where was she in the hour of agony?

A daughter describing her father's death For myself and my family, our story was and still is a nightmare. We loved my father. He died from septic shock brought on by an infection he got following an ERCP [a procedure to x-ray the bile and pancreatic ducts] done ten days previously. We visited three times a day and hounded doctors and nurses for information, but got none.

My complaint is of their lack of compassion and basic human kindness.

We wrote down our phone number for the nurse and put it in her pocket to save her having to look it up if his condition deteriorated overnight. Little did we know of the events of that night, we were told by other patients of the bad night he had. One patient held his hand and tried to calm him and I am so grateful to him, but miserable that it wasn't my mother. Surely 46 years of marriage warrants that special privilege. It was barbaric that they never rang. Patients are just objects to them.

An experienced nurse Never in my 24 years' nursing experience have I witnessed such antagonism to patients especially to the very ill. To the staff who wish to carry out proper care it is unbelievable in this hospital. If a patient is unable to drink or reach for the glass, no help is given.

Doctors are then told that the patient has refused to take fluid and they erect intravenous infusion. Helpless patients are not given assistance with eating either. One terminally ill patient had a mattress which was rotten right through. One elderly lady was discharged home to a senile husband wearing only a nightie and coat.

A young cancer patient I waited two hours to be seen for five minutes by the consultant, the registrar and some other doctor I had never seen before. I asked about the results of a scan taken three months ago, to discover that my condition is likely to have deteriorated. As my blood levels are low there is very little that can be done for me at this stage.

The consultant said I could go ahead with my plans for my degree. The registrar stayed back for a short while and said I could phone her tomorrow with questions. Meanwhile, the consultant asked her to hurry. I barely had my dress back on when I was rushed out of the examination room and next thing I knew, I was in the car park. My relatives asked when my next appointment would be. I had no idea.

A young female doctor I am still annoyed with myself when I remember that I didn't have the courage to complain about the behaviour of two consultants. One of them regularly tore open the buttons of elderly ladies' nighties during ward rounds without warning them or excusing himself. The other demonstrated how to take the pulse at the top of the leg by shoving his hand up their nighties, again without asking.