"Excellent Anaesthetic and Surgical Care RIE"

I attended day surgery at the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh in early September. Despite my middle age and having a couple of long term conditions, until now I'd never really undergone any significant procedures and was absolutely terrified of both general anesthetic and having an operation. Professionally, I have a background in a healthcare discipline and work with clinicians on a daily basis, nonetheless, this didn't detract from my anxieties of the aforementioned. On the day of surgery however, I was put at ease very early on in my visit by Mr Healey, the surgeon who did my operation. It was very reassuring that despite knowing my professional background, he didn't make any assumptions about my knowledge of the procedure. He took time to discuss it with me in full. I also felt as though he really listened to my concerns and answered all of my questions in a perfect balance of being friendly and relaxed yet professional. Of my anxieties however, I think my biggest fear was related to general anesthetic. As before though, once I met with the anesthetist these were quickly put to one side. I met with Dr  Montgomery who, again, didn't make assumptions based on my past clinical experience and was very friendly, approachable and reassuring. Again, I felt listened to regarding my worries with all of my questions being answered around being anaesthatised, post-op sickness and pain management. 

For many, going to hospital and/or theater is  a regular occurrence, others may not give it much thought. For me though it was my biggest fear and something I'd hoped never to need. These two individual however made such a difference that I felt the need to praise them publicly through Care Opinion.

The process however, is less good. Information sent by the appointments office about the day/department/procedure was lacking in anything I needed in terms of what/who to bring or what to expect. I can only imagine that feeling worse for people who are less familiar with the site. I felt as though the only information available was what the service needed from me ("be here at this time") and nothing to help me to plan my visit. It was only when I arrived that I released that visitors aren't allowed yet with being unable to drive post-op I really feel that this along with information sharing with patients is something that needs addressed by the department. 

In summary, in my opinion, the process and information sharing needs to be improved but I think the thing that most of us already know is that it's the people who go the "extra mile" that really make a difference to patient experiences. Both Dr Montgomery and Mr Healey have completely changed my perception of anaesthetics and surgery.