"Inconsistant"

Went in for joint replacement op under local anaesthetic.Procedure was ultimately cancelled by the surgeon however this is not why I am complaining.In my Pre-Op the week before I undertook a Covid and MRSA test and was given some gel and body wash with strict instructions to follow or my surgery could not go ahead.In the paperwork it stated I should bring the unused washing stuff back with the completed paperwork.Turned up a week later for my procedure and shown to my room.Nurse came 90 mins later to take my blood pressure and fill out some paperwork.Next visit was to order my post op food and then last visit was another nurse wanting to take my blood pressure again!.She also went through a valuables checklist and noticed I was wearing my wedding ring.She put some masking tape around it and that was it.My procedure was on my left index finger two fingers away from my wedding ring finger.At this point no one had discussed my covid results or my MRSA results or asked for any of the MRSA stuff.

I was then told by my surgeon that he was cancelling my op that afternoon as an emergency earlier that day had meant that the lowest priority procedures had no time or room to be done.I have no problem with that during these terrible times of backlogs and waiting times however what did disapoint me was when I was told that the Op could not have gone ahead anyway because of the ring still on my finger.If at the Pre Op or at the first nurse visit I had been informed about jewellery I would have asked for soap or washing up liquid so I could wrestle the ring off my arthritic finger.If that had been the reason my Op had been cancelled I would have been livid having waited in chronic pain for 18 months.

I do not want this to happen again to another patient and I will be better prepared for my rearranged appointment next month where I hope my experience is more satisfactory.