N H S can't believe it

Sorry to hear about your son RT, the pillow thing I'm afraid is quite common, as you say 2 per bed. When I was in hospital I had 2 pillows but they were as flat as a pancake and of little use, I couldn't get comfortable after surgery and asked for more, give the staff their due they did try but couldn't locate any spares like others my OH brought me one in from home, but they don't like that on surgical wards due to the risk of infection.  Hope everything goes well and he makes a speedy recovery.

let's not forget we have a NHS which the envy of the world, 

which has treated my wife very well over the 20 odd operations in the last 7 years ,  

NHS has always been good for me and mine - Thankyou

I am  not under any circumstances against the NHS would not be without it   it was to get the point over how it has change over time and under extreme pressure. Customer service if you wish to call can be good and bad in all businesse's some satisfied customer some  unstaisfied customers.

It was just to raise the point of how even to the point of an extra pillow how drastic things have become. even a top cancer doctor reported this week that the NHS is crumbling under the pressure put on it by the holiday / tourist patients demanding treatment, so what can we all do to help save the NHS  

p s please refrain from making this political 

I'm sorry to read of your son's situation Ruby.  

Several years ago you used to get about four pillows and there was a 'set' way of placing them on the bed as I recall, to enable you to sit up comfortably.  

Surely, your son should have the two allocated pillows for normal use but, if he needs extra support for his leg, the ward should provide it and not take his allocated pillows.

Re the NHS ....Our great and wonderful facility to have but sadly misused, abused  and in need of a major overhaul.Just to add fire to the argument we are told there is no post code lottery in this  treasured facility , try this for size: Following my knee operation and  on my Physio visit I was told I could abandon my arm supported crutches now and just use a walking stick. The Physiotherapist went to fetch me one and asked for my address and postcode. When I gave it to him, his comment was "why are you an LE postcode not DE" because I live in LE  was my answer.. Sorry was the  reply, I can only supply DE postcodes  we have an allocation for DE and LE falls outside that area.Amazing as I had the operation in a DE postcode and that was outside my residential LE postcode, please someone explain that to me,   SG2.......

I am sorry to hear about your son Ruby. I hope all goes well.

In general I have been happy with my dealings with the NHS. It's just some of the simple basics they seem to fail on. Things that cost very little and should not happen. Three years ago my mum was taken into hospital. In A&E we gave contact numbers, which were lost when she was sent to the ward. Then on every transfer, ward to ward and hospital to hospital they lost them again. In the end we submitted a formal complaint and I assume a lot of others must have as well. They  informed us they were working on their communication systems. It seems to have worked, as when she was taken into hospital recently contact numbers followed here on each transfer.

Litigation takes hundreds of millions away from nursing budgets

Very sorry to hear about your son Ruby, hope all goes well. Find it sad that the hospital couldn't let him have another pillow.

When we visited France, there was a chap selling books as a market stall.  Whilst waiting for OH to come out from a shop (it was sunny and I love it), I was stood outside and glanced at the books knowing they would be all in French.  Wrong! they were English books.  The chap behind the counter was an English chap who lives in England.  Anyway, we got talking and he said that if you're going to get ill, make sure you're in French.  He reckons the hospitals in France are THE best, ever.  On the menu, he got a half bottle of red wine for his lunch and his tea as the doctors stated that red wine does you the most good - LOVE IT.