The CDU (Clinical Decision Unit … or as I prefer to think of it, the Casualty Dump Unit) is part of the hospital’s Accident & Emergency Department. I was ‘parked’ there just before lunch on 11th April, having been admitted to A&E at about 2.00am with what I later discovered was a fractured lower right leg. (The two breaks – one in each bone – were clean and aligned so that they should not require pinning.)

The CDU is NOT somewhere to stay for more than a couple of days. It isn’t equipped to deal with patients for more than that long. The food menu in the CDU is restricted and there is often little or no choice and it is very repetitive. There is also nothing to stimulate the patients, not even a TV or radio.

The section that I was in had five beds, and during my time there I saw a regular turnover of patients. Many were from care homes or were living at home with carers, either family members or professionals. Some had dementia, confusion, and/or underlying mental health issues.

During my first three nights I got very little sleep as one of the other patients slept all day and then shouted ‘Social Carer’ or swear words all night. Another persistently tried to get out of bed, only to fall over after taking a few steps and pulling his IV lines out.

The day – and night – was regularly punctuated by tannoy announcements related to emergencies that were on their way to the A&E Department and asking patients and doctors to contact the main desk. This was not inductive to a calm atmosphere, rest, and a good night’s sleep.

By the end of the fifth day a care plan was being written so that I could go home, but implementing this was going to take a lot of time and planning. As I was immobile, a room in our house had to be cleared so that a hospital bed and hoist could be installed and visiting hoist-trained carers could be allocated. This process was going to take several days, and I fully expected to stay in the CDU until I was sent home..

I was preparing to spend another night in the CDU when I was transferred at very short notice to a normal medical ward. As a result, I had the best night’s sleep I’ve had for days, and I’m now in a side room with one other patient. My days in the CDU are now over … I hope!