"Mixed experience of knee replacement surgery at Southmead Hospital"

I had knee replacement surgery at Southmead Hospital. The surgery went well, the surgery and physiotherapy team were marvelous and very attentive.

However the nursing staff I met were a whole different story.

On one occasion I had a wash, removed the medical stockings as advised. When I had dried myself I asked if one of the nurses could put the stockings back on and help me put the blanket back on to keep my legs warm. I was told in a rather cross way that I would have to wait... several nurses later and 1 1/2 hours later, another nurse comes along and is appalled that my legs and feet are so cold and at first attempts to accuse me of neglect!

On other occasions (during the same illness) I had asked for pain killers, having been told by the medical team that I must NOT let the time between tablets be too long, otherwise it would be harder to keep the pain under control. The nursing staff let the time between tablets reach 2 hours on one occasion. I am NOT a person who wants to make a nuisance of myself, I try to cope as best I can doing what I can for myself. At the same time I did not sit there and say nothing for the two hours.

What annoyed me was the fact that half the time the nurses seemed to be gossiping instead of treating patients. Socialising at work is an important part of an effective team (and I encourage it in my teams), but not at the cost of the job you are paid to do or the customers you are supposed to be serving.