"Appalling communications & stress!"

I was an inpatient (Gynaecology) on 10th December 2013 at Yeovil District Hospital. I had to undergo a short gynae operation to relieve serious anaemia. I attended the pre-surgery clinic the week before (surgery on 10.12.13) & commend the pre-op assessment staff. I was told I'd be first on the surgery list at 1pm. They were friendly & professional. If only it could have been the same on the day of the actual operation! I turned up to Jasmine ward at 11 am as instructed on my letter, at the time I was told to attend. I found the ward was now coping with overflow from orthopaedics and the ward clerk had no knowledge of the gynae ops taking place. I was told to go and wait in the day room until 'someone came for me'. So I waited..after an hour a nurse arrived, surprised I was there and asked me why I wasn't already on Kingston Wing? I had no idea? After I'd already left home that morning at 9.30 am, apparently my bed location had been changed and someone had left a phone message on my landline - at the time when I was almost in Yeovil, a 45 minute trip for me! As I'm not psychic I had no idea what was going on. I was then told to go the the pre-op 'lounge'. My husband who was meeting me at the hospital was repeatedly mis-directed around the building by staff until he eventually found me after a porter guessed where I might be. I waited & waited (again) and my operation time came, went. I was not informed about where I could use a toilet & ward staff next to the pre-op lounge didn't want me to use theirs, next-door to the lounge (6A I think). I had to go upstairs to find one I was "allowed" to use. The lounge staff then informed me that the toilet I'd not been allowed to use was in fact reserved for the patients waiting there! Finally after 3+ hrs waiting, I was seen by the kind & professional anaesthetist and far from being 1st in that day's surgery I was last! Purely down to admin errors and problems with bed allocations. I finally got my bed at around 3.30pm, and then had to be wheeled all the way back to the theatre next door to Jasmine ward! I had been sent all over the hospital I felt - from Jasmine to Kingston to pre-op lounge to level 7 to Kingston then back to the women's hospital for the surgery. I must say the theatre staff were very good company as I waited in the anaesthetic room for my surgery. I was so tired by this time that I actually fell asleep on my trolley. On awaking I was given some notes and leaflets shoved into my hand, all the staff were packing up to go home and I was given no opportunity to discuss my surgery with a doctor no one told me anything. On my notes it detailed 'urgent histology + follow up in 10 days'. Obviously this gave me cause for concern but no-one was available to discuss this as they'd all gone home. Further stress ensued when trying to get that urgent follow up appt. I received a bouquet and apology when I emailed my experiences to the CEO but wish I'd just had decent treatment!