An operation was carried out by Dr Jowett and team on beginning of December at York Hospital.
What was exceedingly good:
It was to be carried out using a spinal anaesthetic, which I expected to be painful, but which was administered after a local anaesthetic and was truly painless, as was the operation itself. In theatre, I was surprised and delighted when someone asked if I would like to watch the operation. 'Yes, please!' I replied, hardly able to believe my luck.
I found the whole procedure, which included chipping out a piece of bone and a wire insert, fascinating. There was no feeling in my leg or foot, which was a weird sensation, especially when they lifted what seemed to be someone else's limb into position. Some people have called me brave, which I don't deserve because I felt completely safe, and because it was only like watching an operation on a dead chicken.
I would like the whole team and others to know how much this ability to observe and learn meant to me. Being watched by a patient may have felt uncomfortable to some staff, I shall never know, but it was a truly patient-centred, a partnership which contrasted vastly with my medical past. 'Them and Us' morphed together to make 'We'.
By inviting me to watch they had left themselves vulnerable to criticism of any obvious mistakes that might have occurred. But importantly, by trusting me they had shown me respect. They had treated me as a Person, rather than just some Thing. This insightful, modern attitude continued in the Recovery Room. Sadly, I was unable to access the online Survey about this experience, but I'm writing here because I would like the whole team and others to know how much this good experience meant to me. It showed a degree of the team's self confidence, which in turn boosted my confidence in them and contributed towards a fruitful staff/patient relationship.
I know I need to get out more, but this hospital experience was a highlight in my week!
Staff attitude
Staff skills
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