"Superb medical staff, atrocious organisation"

While I have nothing but praise for the skill of the surgeons and the dedication of the nursing staff, getting access to treatment at Salisbury has been an ongoing nightmare, and has left me literally holding my intestines in place for years.

I was first referred across to Salisbury District almost two years ago, after previous surgery failed. Salisbury lost the referral. The resulting delay cost a few months, after which I was able to see a consultant. They, however, needed to confer with a colleague. This took six months to arrange. When I finally saw them I believed it was the final stage before surgery, but instead discovered that I had only that day been added to the waiting list - 10 months after being referred.

Months went on with no word from Salisbury unless I called up to enquire. The projected date for my operation moved from the end of 2015, to "after Christmas", to the first third of 2016, to May/June, and finally July.

Unfortunately this wasn't the end of the problems, as it appears that the operating theatres in Salisbury exist in a state of perpetual crisis. My treatment involved one large operation followed by a few smaller ones to close my abdomen. Three out of the four procedures were cancelled on the day at least once, often after I was left nil by mouth for the entire day with no effective communication between theatres and the wards (this also coincided with a heatwave, and left me suffering from dehydration to the point where the nurses had to put me on an IV drip).

I write this from my hospital bed, where I'm still waiting for the final small procedure to close up my stomach, but which I've recently heard has been cancelled again, with no explanation given. So far the delays have extended my hospital stay by a week, thereby blocking a bed that could have gone to another patient. As I mentioned, the quality of the treatment itself is exceptional, it's getting the hospital to arrange it that's such a struggle.