"I was in this hospital November ..."

What I liked

I was in this hospital November 2008, treated under the NHS and in for a routine operation (banding of piles). Although the procedure that I had wasn't the most delightful, the attentive and professional staff, together with the modern and clean environment made the experience as good as it could have been.

It was also great being able to recover from the operation in my own room.

I was also particularly impressed at the effciency with which the place was run - it was like a well-oiled machine! The place also seems much more patient-focussed than the NHS hospitals that I have come into contact with.

What could be improved

Very little room for improvement as most aspects were super. However, if pushed, a couple of things do spring to mind. I was given some very useful patient notes about my condition when I first saw the consultant but I think it would be good to hand them to patients as they leave. That way, people like me are less likley to have lost them by the time they need to read them. Also, given the operation I was in for, it would have been sensible to have prescribed me some form of medicine to avoid constipation.

Anything else?

I think it is great that the NHS now doesn't shy away from using private hospitals for NHS patients. I got great care and didn't have to wait too long.