By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

Patients at the Royal Surrey County Hospital are complaining they were not given pillows during their stay, with one saying nurses called them “gold dust”. Posting on Facebook, a woman said there were “hardly any” pillows on the maternity ward at the RSCH in Guildford and appealed to local companies to donate.

One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said a shortage of pillows had been going on for years across departments as her partner is often in and out of hospital. Another frequent patient said it often takes 2-3 days before she can get a pillow. One woman said nurses have had to “steal” pillows back from other wards.

“Having no pillow was just awful,” said Maisie Puddifoot, 30. “A pillow just seems like almost a necessity when you’re bed-bound for days.” Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Maisie said she was in the Royal Surrey for a few days with pneumonia in October. After asking on numerous occasions for a pillow, a nurse tried to make one for her using a pillow case and a folded up towel.

Having difficulty breathing, Maisie said she needed to be as upright as possible, adding: “This would have been much more comfortable had I been given a pillow.” Two days after she was first admitted, Maisie’s dad brought in a couple of pillows for her. “I was really poorly and very uncomfortable. The conditions in the hospital at the time were rough anyway,” she said. “It was the worst stay I’ve ever had.”

Facebook users commenting on the original post said they have had to take their own pillows into hospital on occasions. Some hospitals do not accept pillows or soft bedding from outside the building because of infection risks.

A spokesperson from Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust said: “Although we have received no formal complaints about this, we do know that pillows often go missing from our hospitals when patients are discharged to other care settings.

“We have recently established a process to make sure they are returned to us promptly and have set up better purchasing and operational practices to try to avoid shortages. We would like to apologise if there have been any supply issues.”