"Wonderfully sympathetic treatment with some lapses"

I visited Kings Gynaecology unit for emergency treatment of miscarriage in December 2013 and was humbled by the kind treatment I received. Staff in A and E were sympathetic and efficient, and soon transferred me to Gynaecology who were similarly good. All nurses except one treated me with respect and sympathy. The anaesthetist who came to see me before my operation was informative and gave useful and sympathetic advice. The second anaesthetist I met in the operating theatre was spontaneously extremely kind at the particularly scary moment before being sedated. I had met the assistant surgeon who would help to perform my operation but the main surgeon did not arrive until after I was asleep--this is far from ideal. Not meeting the individual who will perform such intimate surgery is unnerving and feels a bit like one is being treated like an anonymous surgical entity rather than a human. When I awoke I asked to see my partner and was told I had to wait until a porter could wheel me back to the ward. However when I cried my kind recovery nurse wheeled me there himself--and this I think is how it should be. It is very difficult after losing a baby to be forced to be separated from one's partner. Back on the ward I was soon given (admittedly disgusting and not nutritious) food and support. I was told I would be discharged that day. Later, however, I was told that my medication would not be ready until the next day so I could not leave. As my partner could not stay overnight with me I was not happy to stay when I was perfectly well and ready to go home, so after some insistance and debate I was discharged and told I could return the next morning to collect my medication. However when I called the next day I was told no medication had been prescribed and I did not need any! I'm glad I avoided what was apparently a completely unnecessary overnight stay. Despite a few lapses in process which could be addressed, though, I went home feeling incredibly grateful for such kind treatment beyond the call of duty, for being treated like an individual going through a traumatic experience, and for the brilliant NHS system.