"Total hip replacement"

My GP recommended Hexham for my hip replacement and I am so pleased he did. From my initial meeting with the surgeon through pre op assessment and the meeting with the physio the service was excellent and seamless from department to department. The information I was given in booklet and DVD was informative and reinforced my confidence in the hospital. Upon admission to ward 3 I met many different members of staff with different tasks. Medical staff all introduced themselves and before carrying out any procedure or form filling checked my details on my wrist and asked me to confirm date of birth. I enjoyed being "cooked" before the op this was very relaxing! The theatre staff were brilliant a touch of humour combined with very professional standards explaining everything putting me totally at ease, ward 3 was excellent. The staff so professional and caring and explaining all aspects of my care and ready to answer any questions. The brilliant member of staff who made me laugh yet stressed again the importance of the exercises I must do. I was assessed as ready to go home some 48hrs after the op. Unfortunately there was a little hiccup and I had to stay another day however all was explained to me and advice given on how I could help overcome the problem without the need for medication or procedure. Discharge was brilliant medicines explained, injection supervised asked if I had any questions and finally the nurse wrote the contact number for ward 3. Absolutely brilliant care in every sense of the word. Some 72hrs later a Sunday night at about 10:45 I had concerns about my hip. I rang ward 3 explained my concern and gave my number. 2 minutes later I was contacted asked many questions and told that my symptoms were normal there was no cause for concern and they would resolve themselves. Completely reassured. The next day I was contacted by Ward 3 to check how I was. I cannot praise the staff of ward 3 and the whole of the orthopaedic department enough. Their professionalism has meant that today 7 days after my operation I am virtually pain free, can walk the 300 yards to get my newspaper with only a slight limp [which is probably more thro habit than necessity] and need one walking stick. You are a brilliant team and deserve the highest praise. Thank you so much.