"Proposed NHS operation"

Anything else?

My first appointment was at 18.10, not very convenient, but at least it hinted that it was "my" appointment time, allowing 1 hour for the 8 mile journey through the rush hour traffic I arrived about 10 minutes early. It was 19.10 when I was eventually taken to see the surgeon, did either of these caring professionals express any concern that I had just spent 60 minutes twiddling my thumbs in the waiting room? not until I had made my feelings abundantly clear! My second appointment was for 11.00 & although I was told the person was running 30 minutes late it was in fact 11.45 when I was called. Euxton is a private hospital & I had to ask myself if a well run organization would subject a private fee paying patient to such delays on both visits? the answer must be no. So either the hospital is not well run or I am not considered as highly is I could be, in either case this was not the best of starts. The operation was to be on my left hand, the right hand having had the same surgery some 3 years ago at the local NHS hospital, then as now I had no other responsible adult at home. Three years ago it was - local anaesthetic, operation, go home. Now at the pre-operative assessment I find that at this private hospital it is to be - general anaesthetic, operation, overnight stay. Since I have severe COPD I was not keen on the added complications a GA could cause. I don't know if a GA is cheaper then a LA but I very much doubt this, the overnight stay would have certainly been much dearer than going home. So now I have the feeling that I am not only do these people have little interest in me as a person I am being used as a cache cow as well. It may be that Euxton would have received a fixed fee for the whole procedure, irrespective of the anaesthetic used & whether or not an overnight stay was involved, in which case I apologise. Nevertheless my faith in this Hospital has been irreparably damaged and I have decided to revert to the NHS waiting list for the operation.