"The nurse that asked me if I had ..."

What I liked

The nurse that asked me if I had been forgotten after the first four hours of my nine and a half hours wait in a gown for a surgery that did not happen. She rang theatre staff and got me a bed for the rest of my wait at least.

What could be improved

The treatment of people visiting the hospital, particulary those of us that suffer with mental health issues that make the whole hospital experience extremely difficult. Of course that only applies when hospital staff are made aware of the problem which in my case they were.

Anything else?

I was told to arrive at the hospital for 7am. I arrived at 6.30 after an hour and a half journey to be ignored by the reception staff until 7am, as were all the other patients. At 7am two other patients were told their appointments had been charged the day before and the receptionist was 'sorry' but they had to leave without explaination even though they had not been made aware of the change, one of the patients husband was angry as they had to get up at 4am and she was an older lady with obvious difficulties.

At 7.30 my name was shouted and I had to follow a nurse to an assessment room where I was asked questions about my op and my obs done after which I was ignored for an hour. At 9am the consultants registra came to see me and spoke about the surgery and then an annethatist who told me I was first on the list and to hurry up and change into the gown supplied. I did this immediatly then sat for another two hours being ignored until a nurse asked if I had been forgotten. The nurse rang theatre staff who told her an antheatist has rung in sick and I would be seen at the beginning of the afternoon surgery. I was then transferred to the ward where I was left for a further five hours until my surgery was cancelled and I was sent away to wait for my husband to make the two hour journey to collect me. I was told as this was 'partially' the hospitals fault they would 'bump' another person from the next list and put me on there.

I had to fight for two years to get the funding from my PCT and as it is very major surgery had to arrange three weeks off work with the NHS and to then have a further six weeks with a student to do the manual handling.

The staff were unbothered and I was left devastated and the only person not to receive my life saving operation that day.