One staff member was horrible, lacked compassion, stated mother had no quality of life and what was the purpose of intubation with her illness, what have we achieved by doing it? If a patient wants to fight to live that is their right and when a next kin was advised by a doctor to intubate, and we did in order to preserve a life of a loved one, we should be respected at a very difficult time not critiqued for it. This staff member along with another doctor put a DNR on our mother with again no consultation with the family. So they removed the intubation tube without as much as a phone call to family even though a doctor had told us there was risks removing the tube. I demanded to speak with the two staff members but neither had the courtesy to meet me. Eventually the DNR was reversed but it's a disgrace. The doctor looking after my relative has not spoken to the family or next of kin at all.

Received excellent care during the delivery of our first baby, from the labour ward to the post natal ward. Had to be readmitted unwell and again was looked after extremely well in quite a poorly condition. Really positive first birth experience.

My mother was taken by ambulance to casualty with what we thought was a stroke. The staff were excellent and had assessed and stabilised her in a short time. She was transferred to CCU where she received excellent care and had a pacemaker fitted. I cannot praise enough the staff, from ambulance crew who came to the house to Elaine in resuscitation in A&E, the medical team, porters and wonderful CCU staff especially nurse Cat McMahon, Dr Myelotte and Dr Nash and radiology. My mum made a great recovery and is home with us again.

Went in after an adverse reaction experience in another hospital. The staff in the other hospital were wonderful, couldn't ask for better staff and care. However, when transferred here, I was left waiting in a great amount of pain sitting on a chair crying. Was told six times I would be given something to help with pain but didn't get anything. Was brought to X-ray, had door hit me on side of head on the way and then got dumped at X-ray door. X-ray staff were shocked. Then after X-ray the staff called them to take me back to A&E but no one came. X-ray said that it was shocking that no one was there for me. Then 40 minutes later someone came to take me back to A&E and then I was dumped on a chair again in very bad pain. At 1am saw a doctor who said I shouldn't be left on the chair in that amount of pain, went to get a nurse, then got a trolley for me. I was told I would get painkillers and a bed in ward plus other medication but got nothing until 5am. Was told there was a bed for me but I had to try get up in so much pain by my self. Got to the so called ward and there was a trolley at the side with a sink and a TV above my head, no privacy what so ever. Had awful time trying to get up onto trolley. Then when a nurse seen I was in some amount of pain I was given something finally. Still had pain but helped a little. Then had a camera test, blood pressure was low, was taken back down to ward where the trolley I was on was still in a corner of the room. Was then told to go home, take painkillers and come back again in two weeks for another camera test. Was told I have to wait for prescription. Then I was told to go buy painkillers, then told I should wait for prescription again, and told again not I was not getting one!. At this point, pain was bad again and I just walked out of hospital and said nothing. I was treated badly, I didn't get offered any food. I never like going to this hospital, it's always the same.

Hospital could do with a revamp. Some parts of it could be cleaner and the food could be better but it's a hospital and not a hotel after all. Medical care was world class and nursing staff were lovely. Thanks all x

Despite the organised chaos that seemed to ensue in the A&E dept, and the excessive amount of patients on trolleys, the staff were excellent. I was very well looked after and cared for by nurses, doctors, and ambulance staff who excelled despite an immense workload, and very stressful and difficult conditions.

Staff were busy but still kind and caring. The nurses seemed to be very experienced and were nice to talk to. Both consultants I met were genuine and tried to explain things as best they could.

A dog gets treated better then the way I was treated while attending maternity between antenatal and being admitted. I feel I was treated poorly even though I am a high risk pregnancy.

From when I entered A&E, until I was moved to the gynaecological ward, it took four hours which compared to times in past was very good. Most of all I was dealt with very efficiently. However, when I was told I had to go to the gynaecological ward everything changed. I sat there for over four hours without a nurse even acknowledging me. It wasn't until I said I was leaving that they chased up a doctor to see me. The whole experience was so upsetting and unpleasant. And after all the wait I was seen by a doctor In under 10 minutes and sent off with prescription for painkillers, bearing in mind A&E were confident I might be kept in.

Could not compliment enough the doctors, nurses and all staff on how well they treated my little boy, they put him at complete ease, left there without being scared once. Amazing.

Some nursing staff in A&E are dismal and do not show any empathy/concern for patients. Had to wait for 13 hours in A&E from once I was seen by triage to be seen by a doctor.

I was very apprehensive being admitted to this hospital but was pleasantly surprised by my experience. The nurses are certainly over-stretched but they are doing amazing work with very positive attitudes. I also witnessed the cleaner doing a very thorough job in my ward which was reassuring.

My partner was left in a overcrowded hallway on a chair in severe pain. We were there for four hours before being seen (after triage) then bought into a small cold room and hooked up to morphine for the pain. He remained there for a few hours then was returned to the corridor! Was sent for a CT scan in the morning a few hours later, was handed a letter and told to give it to his doctor! They had found a 5cm cyst on his kidney. Gave no explanation as to how or why or anything else! We went to our doctor and the letter stated that the cyst was there on the last CT scan but we had never been told of the cyst in clinics we have had to attend previously because of chronic pIn with no explanations or diagnosis even to date!

The A&E department in this hospital is definitely not fit for purpose. The staff in it do not have the time to properly monitor the patients and I feel that some junior staff did not have the right experience to be in such a hectic place. When I was finally given a bed (two-and-a-half days later), I got the best care from the nurses, doctors and consultants in the Stroke Unit and very good follow up care. The A&E department is a shambles.

The ward my son was in was an absolute disgrace. To have children subjected to such poor facilities is ridiculous. It's more like s prison than a hospital. I feel for the staff who have to try and do their job there. My son had a small procedure and had to recover there for four hours in a small room with three other children. My husband and I had to stand while he recovered as there was no where to sit and no room for chairs. I'm paying €2000 a year for health insurance and was told no private rooms available although three rooms lay empty. After an hour my son was begging to leave so I took him out of the room to the playroom. However, he could only look in the window at very few toys as the playroom only opens for two hours a day. We waited another hour and were told we could leave but we still hadn't met the doctor. I asked when the doctor would speak to us about how the procedure went and they said he wouldn't. I asked about after care and the nurses said the doctor should have told us. We left and were told we'd get an appointment to meet our doctor in two weeks. If this is private care I'd hate to think how public patients are treated.

My mother had a serious disease and was admitted after this caused her to suffer a stroke. The team in A&E were fantastic, however the service on her ward was appalling. Staff were overall dismissive, poorly informed or just didn't care. They were also dismissive of us and I didn't see them do anything in terms of her medical care or supporting her emotionally. One nurse was particularly poor. I felt she had no interest in us and was patronising. Compared to other hospitals who were also involved in her care, they where abysmal. Nurses appeared dreadfully unhappy.

I attended A&E with my son with suspected meningitis. WestDoc (out of hours doctor) advised me to take my son to the hospital straightaway. On arrival, my son was triaged straightaway and saw a doctor. Thankfully it was not meningitis but the staff were taking no chances with my son's life. Excellent care from start to finish.

I had a five hour bus journey back to Donegal after my hospital stay, and the staff at St Nicholas' ward did their utmost to ensure I would be ok for the journey. So impressed with all the staff I was in contact with! Thank you for looking after me so well! Anne Cox

Cannot praise the staff enough for the treatment and care received.

Had my baby there in March. Overall the care was ok except for some of the nurses in the prenatal ward who were very unsympathetic and made me feel that I was in their way and taking up a bed when I was admitted twice for high blood pressure. Had a canula inserted which was painful and when I asked the nurse could I have it changed she asked me how did I think I was going to cope with labour when I could not stand a little needle. The midwives in the labour ward were great. Very helpful and supportive and acted very quickly when my baby got into difficulties. My baby ended up having to spend three days in SCBU and I was in the postnatal ward listening to the question 'when are you going home' every time the staff changed. I had to remain for that length due to a suspected blood clot. Otherwise I would not have spent a night being treated like a nuisance. While I understand there are cutbacks, lack of staff and increased pressure I still believe that while in such a vulnerable position, you should be treated with a little bit of kindness and not as a nuisance taking up a bed.

Deplorable place. Private patient with NO private beds available. Rude doctors and overworked snappy nurses.

Taken into A&E with suspected heart attack, subsequently told it was super ventricular tachycardia and heart was brought back into normal rhythm. The following day had chest pain and given pain relief, paracetamol and ibuprofen. Next day told I had two heart attacks - first was the reason I was initially brought to hospital and second 36 hours later. Later told SVT had triggered heart attacks. Spent first 24 hours on a trolley in resus and next six hours in corridor in A&E before being moved on to assessment ward (not cardiology). Doctors had to discuss case in corridor in earshot of other patients and visitors. Food terrible, for cardiac patients ham and cheese sandwiches not good. Stew had undercooked hard vegetables and mashed potatoes too salty to eat. Only 2 nurses in assessment ward and failed to give night time tablets and irregular timing of subsequent medication.

Nurses do their very best in difficult conditions (i.e lack of beds / staff to patient ratio)

Had my baby there in September. I had zero support regarding breastfeeding, only the midwife that helped me give birth took some time to help me latch on, but once I was in the ward no one would pay attention and I was offered a bottle many times. During the first night with my baby, he was crying out of hunger as he couldn't latch on. A nurse came in, not to help me, but to ask me to leave the ward to go to the breastfeeding room by myself. I had to carry my baby to the breastfeeding room even though I was due to have transfusions the day after and I had a canula on with fluids. No one came to help and I was left in that room by myself with a screaming newborn and I was so weak I thought I was going to drop him any second. I think this is disgraceful. I would never go back to that hospital for another baby.

An awful experience. I have been waiting since 9:30 and currently 2:30 and still not gone in !!!!

Almost four years with a disc that needs replacement and I have been told it could be close to 2017 before I get treated. This is a disgrace, you wouldn't leave a dog or any animal in this sort of pain. I've been in the hospital at least 15 times in screaming agony and the quickest I was taken in from waiting room was 13 hours. Never once got a pain killers or was offered a bed.

Drunks were treated before all other patients and security minding them. I walked out after six hours. I asked nurses why were all the drunk people treated first but I got no answer. They ignored me. I said you have a pretty bad system here, no doctor to be seen anywhere, joke of a hospital.

Was brought in by ambulance earlier this year with terrible pain in my side. I was left for 16 hours in a wheelchair in severe pain. It was 24 hours before I was seen by a doctor and I spent two nights in A&E before I was transferred to a day clinic to spend the night. I was moved then to another unit for three nights. The staff were thorough and nurses brilliant. Despite the carnage in A&E you were treated in the ward like a patient.

I wold always return to University College Hospital, Galway. The staff are so professional, caring and treat everyone equally. They are amazing.

We were in A&E for a 12-hour period with our little seven year old girl recently, from 5am to late afternoon. The nursing care was excellent and paediatric and surgical doctors were so thorough and professional. The nursing staff who took bloods and put in IV line were so professional. Our experience in a busy A&E was so positive and the dignity with which the clients around us were shown was note worthy. This was considering the conditions they were working in, so crowded, so awful. At least the children's paediatric area is some what removed from the chaos but my daughter still talks about the disturbing scene she saw of sick people on trolleys.