"Far better than I expected"

Anything else?

Having read the adverse reports about the hospital before going in for a replacement knee I was a little apprehensive but I needn't have worried. From the moment I arrived until the time I left I was treated with kindness, efficiency and respect by all the staff on Victory ward. In unbearably hot conditions the staff kept their humour and worked with one or two very difficult patients without losing their self control and humour. I could not fault them in any way. The reservations I have about the hospital is a lack of communication between departments. At the pre-op assessment it was discovered I had MRSA and was therefore asked to report straight to Victory Ward but although I had been told nearly a week beforehand, when I turned up at 7am, I was not expected as my papers were still with POCU and the staff had to wait until 9am before they were sent up. I was ready for discharge on the Tuesday, all blood tests were satisfactory, I was walking well and was just awaiting an X-ray before leaving. Due to a breakdown in communications I was not X-rayed until Wednesday morning so for 24 hours I was nursed, fed and medicated and a bed was wasted. For some reason patients only seemed to be discharged after 5.30pm which is such a waste of manpower and facilities. I would have liked to have spoken to my surgeon at some stage but was not given the opportunity of discussing the operation or indeed thanking him. My discharge notes apparently were not typed up until just before I left and then had to wait for a clinician to sign them off. Surely they could have done in advance by the night staff during a quiet spell and updated and printed off just before discharge. I'm sure there is a reason for this but the logic escapes me. Other than this I was very pleased with my stay and would not hesitate to have further surgery done at the Maritime.