Overall, I think the place is a mess, some areas more than others. My father was treated for cancer. Nurses in oncology were very good at their work and very nice. But what I cannot understand is why every time my father had to be admitted for low blood count etc...between treatments he had to go through the big long process through A&E. There is a huge disconnect between departments in my opinion. He was so sick and weak but put through huge waits, stupid questions asked a million times already and never ending blood tests, every time. One time when he finally got a bed a junior doctor came and attempted to take blood but could not, he hurt him and after it emerged that there was no need as it had already been taken for the purpose. He didn't even check the label on his hand. This was very distressing. This young doctors eyes were glazed over and his behavior was strange. No communication clearly or inadequate training I'm not sure. The same day someone from the lab came to take more blood and called my father by another name. Only for us realising that he was not the intended person his blood would have gone to the lab with another person's name labelled on it. Before my father died he was still being called for radium appointments to CUH. Again disconnected and inefficient communication. You would be made a fool of if you didn't know any better. And God help any one with no family to keep an eye out for them. On a positive note his palliative care was good. I refer to efforts made to control pain and opportunity offered to speak about the sickness and its inevitable outcome if desired. However, again I must criticise the lack of communication with family members. We felt that we were not being listened to and were just a bit stupid. The list of mess ups was endless. I quickly realised that we had to question everything as they generally cannot be trusted. There is a general sloppiness among some staff but not all. I must say the nurses who cared for him while he was dying were very attentive and nice. There also seems to be a lack of confidentiality among staff. Details of my father's sickness coming back to us via acquaintances that 'heard' it from such and such who works in the hospital. While I am aware that excessive working hours, lack of resources and overburdened services are contributing to all this I still think a lot of improvements could be made regardless. Most staff do their best and I do not mean to sound completely negative but this was my honest experience. I would not wish it on my worst enemy.

My biggest problem with the hospital was the length of time I had to wait on each visit. If my appointment was at 10.30 am, on many occasions I was not seen until nearly 1.00pm. This means that instead of paying a small car parking fee I am generally expected to pay 10 euros. There are many people that miss appointments because they do not have the parking fee and this is ridiculous for people with on-going treatment requirements. A once in a while visit may be okay but when coming every month, it is too much.

Don't really partake in reviews of this nature but following visit with daughter to Tralee General I had to. Daughter admitted with minor ailment thank God. When my wife arrived to A&E with overnight bag she was made feel like an inconvenience. Didn't fare much better on arrival at ward. Not seen by doctor until 12 hours after admission. Even then, he didn't examine child but made general diagnosis. The attentiveness on the ward by staff was extremely poor. There were a few exceptions. I have attended numerous hospitals both public and private, as a patient and with children. This I can safely say has been my worst experience....

My son's treatment was so poor that I will never set foot in that hospital again

In what was the worst time of our lives, the staff and care given was something we will remember. A hospital or any place of work is only as good as its staff. I can't fault the care we received and the support.

My family's experience in KGH was on of the worst experiences of our lives. From the minute my Grandfather was admitted into A&E he was treated as an inconvenience more than anything else. This 91 year old private (not that it should matter) patient was then left on a trolley for 9 hours before being admitted to a ward. Having received NO diagnosis, rather than him having a 'slight infection' the previous night, we returned the next morning to hear that he had a serious illness and hours left to live. Luckily (or maybe unluckily as it transpired) my grandfather was a fighter, and survived another five weeks. During this time he was diagnosed and re-diagnosed about eight different times and his age was mentioned more than his actual name. Many of the staff were indifferent and downright rude towards the man and clearly seemed to resent us keeping vigils by his bedside. There were of course the odd exceptions namely Dr Cashe in A&E, Dr Billy the house doctor and Dr Sheehan. The student nurses were also a God send, showing more care and consideration than any of their seniors could manage. Fr Spillane was also fantastic. Overall, it was a horrific experience, and should I ever get sick myself I'd prefer to take my chances in the parking lot....I suspect I'd have a greater chance of survival out there.

The medical and nursing staff who get so much grief were wonderful, but the treatment I received from the accounts department was appalling. If other departments treated patients the way they do it would be all over the media!!!

A fantastic hospital and the staff are all angels

Over 7 days my mother received 3 different and conflicting diagnoses after being involved in a severe car accident. First she was told that she had no broken bones and would be able to go home the following day. Then she was told she had a cracked sternum and broken ribs and she started physio for the broken ribs which was extremely painful, then was told that she didn't have broken ribs at all but had broken her collar bone. The fact that she had a brain hemorrhage was not communicated to her or her family until 5 days after admission. Each day for 7 days she was told she would most likely be discharged the following day. There was concern about low sodium levels but none of the nurses were able to explain to her or her family what this meant , what could be causing it or how it could be treated. 7 days in Kerry General hospital was one of the scariest experiences in my life.

These nurses and midwives are overworked and underappreciated. They are fabulous and outstanding ladies that took every question or problem I had with respect and went above and beyond to cater for my every need no matter how big or small I felt it was. I was made feel like I was their only patient and a priority. How I don't know as they could do with more staff. Each change over was so smooth. Each new midwife I had knew my history from each day and each were as helpful and friendly as the last. I couldn't have found better care anywhere else and having my second baby seems less daunting knowing I'll be in their care again. Thank you so much ladies xxx

Hospital was clean and well managed. Was seen quickly and made comforable as soon as all my details and bloods were taken. Checked regularly while waiting for results and xray. Fantastic set up and excellent caring staff. Not that I want to go back there but if I had to go to A&E again Kerry General would be the place.

The hospital parking fees were absolutely shocking. Why are people charged to attend a state hospital on state-owned land? People are not there unless they need to be. It is very wrong to charge people for parking because they have no choice but to park on hospital grounds. If someone is visiting a hospital it is not for pleasure. This charging should be stopped. Open the barriers and do not add to people's hardship. My other complaint is that as a mother of a young child I had to spend 3 nights on an arm chair, with no sleep adn then had to mind my child all through the day as well, without even a cup of tea. I was suffering from hypertinsion after her birth and had terrible headaches from the stress of not sleeing and not being able to lay down atall, even though there were 4 empty beds there. I was eventually given a bed until 6.30 when I was thrown out of it and it remained empty all day. What a terrible way to treat mothers in this day and age. On my second visit there I was able to sleep with my child in a bed. It was hard to watch other mothers on a chair or on the floor. Disgraceful. Also there was noone to take over so I could get food,as I am a lone parent i did not have someone to mind my child.

Lovely new A&E ward, absolutely wonderful staff, a credit to their profession.

Car park way too expensive. Waiting areas extremely over crowded and dated. Food is inedible, esp the midday meal. Amazing, fabulous staff working incredibly hard.

My daughter went into a and e, only one doctor on in a beautiful new a&e dept,, that was sad,, but once seen by doctor everything else flew, she had surgery following day, found nurses and doctors on hand to talk to, and really cared and looked after my daughter, also my mom had cancer and died in the hospital and the staff could not have been nicer, and my mom loved them felt so safe and secure,, and loved the food,when she could not eat, they would make her custard without sugar, they went over and beyond their jobs to make sure she was comfortable and happy.I can't ever thank the staff and doctors enough, and my daughter also says the same.

The nurses looking after my dying father were a disgrace. They lied about the food intake he was having each day. He was unable to eat and his vitamin shakes built up over three days yet they marked off his chart that he had drank them every day. He had not. They left him in a bed undressed from waist down with a window open beside him (this was in the winter). It was our priest visiting him that found him. When confronted by all this, the nurses were ignorent and did not want to or care to hear. They did not contact our family the evening my father passed away. It was luck that a cousin was visiting him and rang us to come in a.s.a.p. They were shocking and would badly want more training in care and understanding of very sick people.

Excellent care, very professional attitude of all staff. Staff worked really hard but were under resourced .

My doctor was rude, ignorant and a terrible doctor. If it was my hospital, they would not be on the staff list, but escorted straight out the door.

Wonderful service, staff very patient with my 5 year old.

None of the staff had a minute to themselves - they were all so busy. Food was excellent - thank you. The catering and domestic staff were nice and friendly - a lot of the time these people are forgotten about.

I received really good care at this hospital. The staff all do their best even though the resources are limited. I came in through A&E with suspected meningitis. Turned out to be viral meningitis. The nurses in A&E were very caring. I was transferred up to a ward and stayed in the hospital for two nights. The staff in the CCU were very kind to me also. On a negative note, I wasn't really able to fill out forms and coud barely sign my name while in A&E, but filling out the form to decipher whether I was a private or public patient seemed to be a priority. The staff member was quite pushy that I sign straight away. I suppose this has to be the way it is but it wasn't the best feeling!

When a person goes into A&E , if family go in with them and tell the nurse that the person is being treated for Alzheimer's and has no memory of the heart pulse stopping, why is the nurse not attempting to show any compassion or interest ? I'd hate to imagine a person that goes in off the street with no one with them that can speak up on their behalf. We were made to feel like we were making it up.

I hope I never have to attend this dirty, smelly and unprofessional so called hospital again.

My wife says she was well informed at all times of my condition and had nothing but praise for the care they gave to me during my time there. The physiotherapy staff were brilliant, pushing me when I needed pushing and taking it easy when that was required. The stoma nurse Denise Thornton was a breath of fresh air and was like a long lost friend. The nursing staff in the Aghadoe Ward who were working in difficult conditions looked after me very well. All of Mr Murray's team were excellent.

This hospital is an absolute joke! Disgraceful wouldn't even describe it! Shocked and disgusted with the level of care given on the ward. The place has no security, patients with mental illness, alcohol problems and drug problems are all mixed in the wards. The nurses are rude inside there. Shocked at the lack of security in there, people visiting patients can basically bring what they like inside there! I was there visiting someone recently and was stunned by the lack of supervision there, especially in the outdoor smoking area. No supervision! The patient I was seeing there felt unsafe! Felt like the nurses treated her with no respect and generally felt she was getting worse there!

I just love Aghadoe ward at Kerry General Hospital - all the staff are outstanding, the best ever.

I had a challenging surgery but it was not a problem for Mr Rice. I had every faith in his expertise.and everything turned out perfectly. May god bless this wonderful surgeon and long life to him.

Lack of communication between outpatients, diagnosis and treatment by ward doctors.

This hospital is the best in the country and deserves major recognition.

Coming from the U.S into that ER really scared the Hell out of me. I did not know what to expect. There were people all around the room lying on gurneys (trolleys) who seemed to be there with me through the evening, through the night and the next morning. I couldn't believe that an xray was ordered for my condition instead of a Cat scan. In the US.. a cat scan would have been on top. I don't think a regular xray would have even been considered. Thank God my blood work came back showing an infection. Antibiotics were started. I was admitted and finally taken to a bed in a ward the next afternoon. (no wards here at home) The thought of having a surgery in Ireland scared me to death. To this day I have no idea who was a Doctor in the ER and who wasn't. I was released without any medication for me to take on my trip back to the US for pain/discomfort to follow up with my Dr. I know we are spoiled here in the US. I am really praying that our country will never resort to a National Health Care System