"Vascular surgery at the Royal London hospital"

Had vascular surgery recently. The day surgery reception was very disorganised and lucky I had the clinical research nurse from the Royal London and one from the William Harvey heart centre so glad they come to see me for my pre-op as I think that I would have found it hard to answer all the question without them there.

The surgeon came to speak to me beforehand and went through what was going to happen, very very professional.

Operation was quick and easy and the surgeon was talking to me the whole way through. Then off to the recovery ward, very very good staff there and as the ward I was meant to go to at 6pm was full, I spent the night in the recovery ward which I didn't mind because all the staff there couldn't do enough for you although they was very busy.

The next day I got transferred to ward 13 and am so glad I didn't have to spend the night there, felt that I was in the way although they were very busy told them straight away that I had at appointment at 2pm that day in the ultrasound department and that I was going to leave the ward and go to my appointment and not come back. I don't think they believed me.

The two research nurses turned up and one managed to get my ultrasound appointment moved forward (great) they did some blood tests and some other tests and then I changed into my going home clothes when one of the nurses that I first told when I went to the ward realised that I had changed they then told me I could not go until I had seen a doctor at which point I told then what time I was going whether or not I had seen a doctor.

I felt like I was making a fuss on a busy ward which I wasn't only told them what I was going to do. Got asked by the same ward nurse that I had asked me before if a doctor had been round then just as I was going the nurse came back with the doctor, as he didn't really know what I had done I found this very difficult as it seemed like I had been making a fuss about seeing him which I wasn't.

I was have a clinical trial, only the second person to have this done, and on the whole the Royal London hospital were very very good and can't thank them enough.