"Women's Health Physiotherapy"

I had a hysterectomy recently at City Hospital, Nottingham. Three days after my surgery a physiotherapist from the Women's Health team came to see me. They were like a breath of fresh air. Their manner and approach and the information they gave me were really helpful and made a difference to the way I was feeling and thinking. They also gave me a useful leaflet to bring home. They said that they'd see me again before I went home but in the end it was a different physio who came. They were also great to work with. I was interested that it was a different physio who came - it was interesting having a different approach - having been told that it would be the first physio I was looking forward to seeing them and discussing progress and I don't know how I feel about not having that opportunity - the second physio brought their own thoughts which were also useful it's just that the expectation wasn't met.

I have some suggestions / requests:

- the nursing staff I encountered could not tell me how to get out of bed following surgery. Would it be possible to ensure that all staff are able to give patients information (from the booklet) about how to get out of bed? This could be enhanced (given that they all carry tablets / phones / devices of some sort, by having a video to show patients.

- the booklet gives most of the information about getting out of bed but doesn't say that the top shoulder has to come forward - at the next reprinting please could this go in?

- In the leaflet there is information for Day One following surgery but I received it on Day Three. It would have been very useful to have had the key information on Day One. Would it be possible to have a laminated card with the key information so that for people having surgery on Friday, they still have access to it and their friends / family can be alerted to the pertinent things, especially about breathing and moving?

- In the leaflet there are exercises. They talk about the lower tummy muscles. I didn't know where these are. Would it be possible to say 'below the tummy button' or something to help?

- my processing of written information was (still is) less good following the general anaesthetic and surgery. I realised once I started to try and do the exercises (when I had someone with me to help me at home) that it would have been really useful to have talked these through with the physios. Could the staff make this part of their visits to check that patients really understand what they are doing and what to expect. I've been doing Pilates for years and so I know the ideas but was somewhat disturbed by how little movement I had in my tummy muscles.

- I was given a slip of paper that said I could call the dept between 9.00 and 9.30 for advice. This is a REALLY good thing. However, when I rang, the answerphone message gave me the impression that I should leave a message which would be answered, hopefully, in the next couple of days. Please either put on the slip of paper that if the answerphone kicks in to just keep ringing or make the message say something that indicates that between 9.00 and 9.30 I could just keep ringing. And remember that following surgery people don't always work things out as easily as at other times :-) 

Many thanks again for a very important and useful service.