"Very poor level of post operation care by nurses"

I choose to have my knee replacement operation at the Lister Hospital thinking I would get well looked after. Although the doctors and physiotherapists were very good, I've been extremely disappointed by the after care nursing.

Most of the nurses were agency staff and seemed unaware of what they had to to. I stayed at the hospital from Tuesday 9 Feb in the evening to Saturday 13 Feb in the morning.

Some of the issues I would like to rsise are:

- At no point, I've been offered help to wash my self during my stay. It's only on the Friday after repetedly asking for a carer to come with me to the bathroom that an agency nurse stood up in the bathroom while I washed myself.

- I had to ask for the bedpan myself on two occasions to get the chance to urinate after the operation. Only on the third day, The physiotherapiste guided me to go to the bathroom. I never been offered anything to open my bowels during my whole stay. I had to call repeatedly to get an ice pack put on my left knee. I had to show most of the nurses how to use the ice bucket to fill in the ice pack.

- During my whole stay, I've never been given a change of disposable knickers. I had to ask for them and for a clean gown myself. I've not been given another one before I left the hospital.

On admission, I've been given one TED sock for the right leg only and it was not the right size. I've been sent home (to a rehab clinic) with no other ones (to be able to change them while being washed).

- My insurance does not cover 'take home' medicine, but I've been given the prescription by the pharmacist on Friday noon only, not giving time to my husband to get an NHS prescription from my GP before going to the rehab clinic on the Saturday, and this meaning I have to pay £138 on top of the excess I need to pay for the room per day to the Lister Hospital.

Undoubtably, my insurer won't be keen in the future to give guarrantees of payment to its members for a hospital where the nursing staff is so uninterested in the wellbeing and hygien of the patients.

I look forward to your comments.

Nora Baiou