"Humerus Fracture"

Inconsistencies. 

Since January 2018 I’ve been under the care of the orthopaedic department at ARI due to a humerus fracture. Due to the nature of my break, I’ve had many consultations in the fracture clinic and a stay within the orthopaedic ward for surgery. My original fracture was in January, and unfortunately the bone re-fractured in July so I then had surgery to put in a plate and pins after discussing my options with one of the surgeons, Louise. 

Overall I would say I am very happy with the care provided to me. I wish I could say that my experience has been completely positive, however I’ve experienced some inconsistencies. 

As this has been a long journey, I’ll try to be brief, but I want to make sure I provide feedback on all areas. 

Fracture Clinic: 

- The nurses and reception staff have been great. Always friendly and helpful, even when extremely busy. I particularly appreciated them taking time to explain to all in the waiting area when there were delays so that everyone was kept informed. 

- Likewise all of the staff I experienced during my X-rays were very friendly, and didn’t ask me to move my arm in any way which I was not comfortable with, which was particularly important for me in the early weeks of recovery. 

- The consultations in the fracture clinic have seemed to vary a lot depending on which doctor I was seen by. Some took the time to explain things to me, give me advice and let me know how best to take care of my fracture, however others seemed to rush me in and out. I received some contradictory advice when I asked certain questions such as whether or not I needed to stay upright while I slept and whether I could rest my arm on pillows, and sometimes just couldn’t seem to get information out of the doctor. I was also disappointed on one occasion when I attended due to pain in my arm. One of the more senior members of staff looked at the X-ray and confirmed there were no issues, and didn’t seem to want to engage with me to help me work out why I was having pain - he only seemed interested in the X-ray. 

- On the other hand, some of the doctors I saw were fantastic. Duncan in particular took time to go through my injury with me, and as I recall was the only doctor who explained to me in detail what surgery options there were if my bone did not heal on its own. Although the other doctors I saw had told me surgery might be required, they did not explain to me what this would entail in any detail, which made the prospect very intimidating. I can’t fault Louise who put me completely at ease when I attended the clinic due to re-fracturing my arm. She explained that as it had not healed fully, that she felt surgery was my best option. She explained to me in detail what this would entail, and once I consented, she wasted no time getting the ball rolling. I had surgery four days later. She has also been fantastic since my surgery, making sure to see me personally at my 6 week post operative clinic appointment. I didn’t catch the name of the doctor I saw at my final fracture clinic appointment at 12 weeks post operation, however he was very helpful, and he answered all of my questions clearly and concisely which was very reassuring. 

Orthopaedics (Ward 212/213): 

- I was admitted to the above to have surgery on my humerus, 6.5 months after my initial injury, due to a re-fracture. One of the surgeons came to see me prior to the operation to explain to me what would happen, and Louise came to see me not long after I came out of recovery to make sure all was well. I was really pleased with how the operation went, especially since it was obvious immediately that there had been no major complications. 

- The anaesthesiologists were also very nice. I was very nervous since this was my first operation but they put me at ease and chatted to me before and during administering the anaesthetic which made me feel much more comfortable and less nervous. 

- The staff on the ward were very friendly and helpful, and made sure I was comfortable before and after surgery. They discharged me in a timely manner and offered me any help I needed to get myself ready. 

- The only issue I had on the ward was when it was time for me to be taken to surgery. The nurse taking me down couldn’t find my consent form. This really panicked me at the time as she told me that they wouldn’t be able to do the operation without it, and that it wasn’t as simple as me signing another as the doctor also needed to have signed it off. When being faced with my first surgery, and having psyched myself up for it, this last minute panic was very stressful. Thankfully the paperwork was located in time for me to be taken to theatre, however this is perhaps something that the patient shouldn’t need to be stressed by - paperwork with personal details on it should not be misplaced. 

- I re-visited the ward a few weeks after my surgery as my arm was increasingly hot to touch and red. I’d visited my GP who had escalated it and contacted Orthopaedics who asked that I attend the hospital immediately to get checked over. They saw me almost immediately on arrival, did some tests and also had a look over my arm. The doctor then confirmed that thankfully I did not have an infection. I was very impressed with how quickly this was dealt with and really appreciated them being able to see me so urgently in case there was a serious complication. Again, I unfortunately did not get this doctors name, however he was very helpful and reassuring. 

I also just want to say that I appreciate how quickly my operation was scheduled after my re-fracture. I’ve spoken with many others who have had a similar experience to me, who have had to wait months and months for their operation in other regions of the UK, so I really can’t emphasise enough how much I appreciate being seen so quickly by NHS Grampian. 

I hope that my constructive criticism is helpful. And want to reiterate that overall I am very pleased with the care given to me, and I am very grateful to all of those who have helped me during this particularly difficult journey. We really are lucky to have the NHS!