"I accompanied my husband for a ..."

What I liked

I accompanied my husband for a knee op in the day care unit. He was treated with the utmost care and consideration and would recommend this hospital to everyone. Familys are treated as a nonentity. I was not allowed any contact whatsover with my husband after arrival. There was no opportunity to share information on post-op care with anyone including the surgeon and physio.

What could be improved

When your loved one is a high risk under anasthaesia, some mutual communication between ward and family would have been very helpful. A quick phone call from the ward to the receptionist to say all was well would have allayed all my fears, better still, being able to hold his hand while he recovered would have been beneficial to us both. The opportunity for family and carers to speak to key people (surgeons, physio, etc.) would help a lot with remembering all that needs to be done once back at home. An area set aside for family and carers near to their loved ones where they could have contact with nurses etc would be ideal.

Anything else?

Patient confidentiality is taken to extremes here. We were both allowed to take part in pre-op discussions, but after this, communication is with the patient only, to the point where follow up telephone calls are made absolutely anonamously. I wasn't even allowed to know who or what wanted to speak to my husband so desperately. I found this very offensive.