"Day care foot surgery"

I have waited so I could compare my experience with my recent one at Glos Royal on 30 Dec 2014. I chose the Winfield because I could be seen sooner. The Consultant was excellent but the treatment from reception staff quite poor. They never checked whether I needed an X-Ray prior to seeing the Consultant so each time I was waiting in the wrong area which wasted his and my time. His secretary messed up my admission date which caused problems with my work. She even asked me how long my operation would take!! On admission some of the staff were ok but some were rather rude (because I was NHS?). Post surgery the lack of food and pain relief made me feel unwell. The physio did not have the shoe I needed and gave me something else. My surgeon saw the shoe and told the staff it wasn't suitable. I said I couldn't leave without the proper shoe. The physio had left so In the end I was given an Amazon print out of the shoe to order my own!! This special shoe aids healing and allows you to walk on your heal. I felt scared leaving without the shoe my surgeon wanted me to have. When I got home full of anaesthetic and opiates I had to place an order for this shoe online!! Dreadful. It turned up 2 days later. On follow up, reception again forgot to send me to X-Ray both times. The surgeon was shocked that I had to buy my own shoe. I cannot fault my Consultant. He was professional, courteous and explained everything fully. The surgical results were fine. However, the Winfield does not run smoothly and I felt like a second class citizen because I was NHS. If I could pay for surgery I would not choose this place on principal. On the other hand my recent stay at the Glos Royal to have my other foot done was so much better. I was quite poorly after the surgery and had to stay in recovery for 3 hours. I had to stay in but the food, physio care, nursing staff were fab. I was discharged with plenty of medication to help me cope post op. My mental condition was so different, I am sure it has helped my recovery. One week post op and I am doing great.