"Day Surgery Experience"

I attended Torbay Day Surgery Unit for a small urological procedure, the procedure itself was carried out well and I am recovering well at home with no complications.

The care I received before and after surgery left a lot to be desired. 

I arrived at 7:45am, as instructed, but had to wait outside in the cold until 8am with 7 other people, also waiting. When booked in, I was told to get changed into a gown but the gown I was given only had 1 tie on...I didn't ask for another one because luckily I took my own dressing gown. However had I have not had my own dressing gown I would have felt extremely embarrassed. 

After the procedure, I was taken back to a cubicle where I expressed the need to go to the toilet. I asked 3 different nurses, on 3 seperate occasions to fetch me a bottle but each time my request was unfulfilled. I was extremely desperate and sadly due to not being given a bottle, I had an accident and urinated over myself and the bed, which was extremely embarrassing. 

Despite being a gentleman of 82, I am still very independent and always manage to make it to the toilet at home and wait if out and about. I wouldn't have needed any help to use the bottle so it would have taken no time at all to fetch one for me, especially as I was unable to get up out of bed after my procedure. 

I am extremely disappointed with the lack of care, attention and respect for my dignity on this occasion. I feel that having to ask twice was bad enough, but three times is absolutely unacceptable and what happened as a result should never have been allowed to happen.

Further to this, I felt that my discharge took a long amount of time and this made an already poor experience more difficult. One part of my medication I was due to take home was also missing. 

Overall, despite the procedure going well, for which I am very grateful, it has been overshadowed by the poor care I received. 

Please ensure that this doesn't happen again so others people don't need to suffer the same indignity I had to endure.