"If I could cope without having the treatment I would"

I am writing on this page following a response from the Health Minister's office advising me to do so.

I have received alarmingly poor and inconsistent treatment at the above clinic. My operation was cancelled because of a positive MRSA swab. Only at this point was I told that there was insufficient time left before my op to attempt decolonisation.

I had been very proactive about my care, and explained that if the policy had been available ANYWHERE for me to consult, I would've chased an earlier pre-op or asked my GP to swab me. I asked if suppression might not be a safer option, on the basis I hope to have another child soon, and that will be by c-section and so am worried about antibiotic resistance developing. Refused.

I was swabbed on the day I should have had my op and was clear, but am now being put through another round of decolonisation because I've swabbed on another part of my body for MRSA. I should add that I had HAD two clear swabs at this point, as my GP had done one, but was told that this GP swab was not in line with the mysterious policy, a copy of which has still not been provided. No explanation as to why MRSA appears to have spread to my throat following treatment.

Staff confused and incoherent telling different stories. When I challenged one staff member on the interval between swabs, because she said different to her colleague, and explained my concerns about the unseen policy and inconsistencies between staff, she asked me if I wanted to get MRSA! both issues are now the subject of a complaint by me.

Even the staff who were pleasant and helpful (which, with that exception, to be fair has been most of them) have told me different stories: one said that they would keep trying decolonisation, while another had said it could only be attempted twice.

I got the bad news while on a holiday (which I'd told them about, with my terminally ill Dad) and asked if the prescription could be faxed to a chemist here to avoid any further delay. The surgeon refused to do this, further delaying my treatment for no good reason. I'm still no clearer on what will happen after - one member of staff reassured me that my (very painful) knee will be sorted once the 2 decolonisations had been done, only for another to tell me that if the second decolonisation doesn't work, there will have to be a risk assessment and the final word will lie with the surgeon. I don't know whether I will be party to any risk assessment or not, but feel strongly that I should be.

This is having a terrible impact on my mental, as well as physical health. Even the complaints procedure is worrying me, had several emails in response to me chasing up my complaint going 'didn't you get our response? ' and was told that my complaint would have to be dropped in order for me to make a claim against the hospital. I have now demanded that they copy everything to me by post. I don't really want to take legal action, but the whole process has been so shambolic I may be left with little choice unless I want to be in pain for the rest of my life.

If I could cope without having the treatment I would, as I now have so little trust in the hospital to treat me properly because of the sheer extent of confusion and inconsistency. I've always been a staunch supporter of the NHS, and this is all made worse by the fact that I'd been determined to see the good in the New Vic, after a number of friends and colleagues have had problems here. I now have to take someone with me to all appointments and make detailed notes on all phone calls in case I end up having to go to court over this.

To top it all off, I'd said throughout that I was under exceptional personal stress at the moment, and had a pre-existing depression diagnosis. For my part, I've been organised and pro-active, have chased up appointments, booked childcare and my own post op care exactly as demanded by pre-op clinic (in contrast to them, who have never provided me with full written information when requested) and only booked a holiday after speaking to the booking team.

The way I've been treated has been particularly unacceptable when these are factored in. I've also asked about my status in relation to Patient Rights legislation and where I stand with the Treatment Time guarantee - if the clock HAS been stopped, as one Nurse claimed, because of my MRSA (even though the document excludes tests other than the treatment for the condition so far as I can see), I haven't been kept properly informed in writing as I should have been, and haven't even been told verbally. Due to the surgeon's refusal to fax the prescription, I will now go beyond the given date of the beginning of April for treatment time.

This letter might finally get supplied now, but if it does it will only be because I chased it up.