"I had a knee operation on the ..."

What I liked

I had a knee operation on the 14th January, and from the moment I walked into surgical admissions, to the moment I left 4 days later, I was made to feel assured, comfortable and treated with excellent care by all members of staff I came into contact with, from the surgeon who operated on me who went though the procedure when I first arrived, all the nurses, and even the porter who took me to xray.

The staff in the pre op room (dont know what its called, the ones who send you off to sleep!) were very friendly and funny. This calmed me, even though i was very nervous and scared of needles.

The ward staff were excellent (Ella Rowcroft) They were clearly very kind and dedicated and I felt able to ask for help when I needed it. Even having to use a bedpan was made surprisingly less distressful completely due to the nurse who helped me not batting an eyelid and being light-hearted, yet practical about the situation.

It was very insightful for me because I am planning on a career as a mental health nurse / practitioner, and this experience reinforced my desire to work in healthcare.

What could be improved

Only minor niggle was the a physiotherapist came to assess me, then the next day another physiotherapist came to assess me again-- not knowing I had already been assessed. Didn't matter to me one bit, but obviously there was a slight communication issue there between staff. (but they were both knowledgeable and lovely!)

Anything else?

Would like to say the bedside TV console thing is a rip off- unless you're in for weeks on end its not worth it. I was able to watch BBC news channel and some other freeview channels through the internet on it, without buying a card. However, I was very impressed the internet was free. (free tv next then please!) I thought I was going to be able to read to pass the time, but found strong painkillers make you too tired to do this!