"Tumour removal in March"

Apologies for it having taken quite some time to come back to you with some feedback. Playing catch up on the year has proved quite hard work. Plus my op looks to have been healing so very, very splendidly, I´ve been more absorbed in the natural marvel of the ongoing healing process.

I want to cast my mind back and remind myself of how very impressed I was by my operating team. They should be greatly commended as a magnificent team. It was a bit of a privileged position to be there, wide awake with you all in the operating theatre, observing the team´s collected cool and efficiency.

You really did make an excellent outfit. I felt confident that you were all communicating well and had a solid, thought-out plan to follow. A really fine example for the student doctors who were there for the experience.

Special mentions go to two members of staff QEQM, who I also thank for their magnifying glass recommendation. The nurse at Buckland too. I am in such admiration of you all. Your quality of care and advice was outstanding with a relaxed professionalism, all top class.

It´s not all good news however, because in order to be fully objective with this feedback I need to relate that the most painful experience throughout was dealing with the department´s administrative team. There, it was the completely opposite experience - the absolute gamut, from school errors to all out rudeness. It´s difficult when outwardly facing to be taken seriously as a professional unit with process failures and miscommunications as a norm. It was not at all good. It contrasted poorly against the medical professionalism. As a service user I was left with some serious doubts about the seamlessness of operations. I do not believe that there is any reason at all why an administrative arm cannot operate with the same professional efficiency of a medical arm.

As an East Kent operation I was tremendously impressed by your scope and coverage. I imagine that it is tremendously taxing and challenging to co-ordinate across the area and that it is a very demanding business profile to operate. I felt that given the current climate, the means by which you were operating across the region was highly admirable by extending your reach out to your patients. I´d certainly second the motion if ever you were think of setting up a clinic at the Victoria Hospital in Deal once in while.

Once again I would like to thank all the medical team that I came into contact with and wish you all good fortune for the future. I am greatly indebted to you and brimming with good health and vitality as a consequence. Thank you.

HH