It\s never going to be easy to be a patient at a mental hospital, and neither is it easy for relatives. But I was impressed at how caring the staff were at the Vaughan Thomas Ward when our son was admitted. I sometimes phoned in tears having received very distressed phone calls, and the staff answered with sympathy and reassurance. I was also pleased to have been able to make use of the friends and family sessions on a Saturday afternoon, although some of the staff seemed unaware that this even existed. I would like to offer some constructive suggestions for improvement. It would be good for relatives/carers to receive a written welcome pack when they first visit, and there needs to be a system to ensure this is in place. We did eventually receive a welcome pack by email, but there was lots of information that wasn\t in it that should be included: Names of who is in charge of the patient, information about visiting, the fact that family leave within the grounds or off site is able to be granted, the fact that a weekly ward round takes place and relatives/carers can be present if the patient agrees, the fact that there is a cafe on site and what the opening hours are (there are no opening hours displayed at the cafe itself either), and finally that there is a cash office for patients, and all the details about that. I would like to commend the staff on the ward who do a very difficult job and who are probably not thanked enough for what they do.