"Day patient on Appleby Suite"

I have attended the Appleby Suite twice now for pain management procedures and cannot fault the care I received on each occasion. The staff work so hard under tremendous pressure and always remain caring and kind to the patients. I have total trust in the surgeon and theatre staff, their expertise and care and consideration are outstanding. The ward staff on my two visits were thorough and professional, some were more friendly and approachable than others, but that could well be down to personality! I only wish the follow-up consultations were as pleasant. When I see the surgeon I feel totally relaxed and everything is explained clearly, I feel respected and confident. However, when I see the Chronic Pain Nurse, the same cannot be said. I feel patronised and undermined. The Chronic Pain Nurse is never unkind, but not empathetic or understanding of the high pain levels of the patients and the effect this has on our daily life. In fact, I dread these follow- ups more than the actual procedures and feel as though I need a local anaesthetic to cope with them! When attending a clinic for chronic pain, it would be lovely to be treated as an individual not a "case".