I had a breast reconstruction in April 2014 and overall had a much better experience than my mastectomy at Southmead (the old hospital not the new building). Nursing care before, during and after the op was very good - things like being given antisickness meds for when you come round from general anaesthetic make all the difference. I only had to wait about 1 hour for my op which is good because it is very tiring having to wait for hours and hours during which you are not even allowed to have a small drink of water. There were no admin mix ups this time. I was also impressed with the way their physiotherapists check that you can walk up and down stairs safely before you are allowed to go home - this didn't happen at Southmead. They were very short staffed particularly on one day when one of the nurses was sent home sick unexpectedly, which led to us having some problems in our part of the ward with personal care which ended up creating an even higher workload for the remaining nursing staff having to do extra cleaning that could have been avoided. There weren't enough nurses to help me get out of bed that day (couldn't get up on my own), so this delayed me getting my mobility back and tubes removed. We also had some problems with the food - our bay of the ward always seemed to be the last one to get meals brought to us, by which time our choice from the menu had often run out, the remaining food was cold, and on one occasion a lady was left her meal but no cutlery to eat it with.
"Breast reconstruction"
About: Frenchay Hospital Frenchay Hospital Bristol BS16 1JE
Posted via nhs.uk
Do you have a similar story to tell?
Tell your story & make a difference ››
Responses
See more responses from Frenchay Hospital