"Operation Cancelled whilst waiting in the..."

Today my father was booked in for a bladder operation at Southmead hospital to remove some growths he had been diagnosed with a couple of weeks ago.

The story begins on Monday when my father had to visit Southead hospital for a pre-op, at the pre-op my father was advised that an appointment would be made for him of which he politely informed the staff that his appointment was Thursday of the same week.

The medical staff also enquired into my fathers blood clots of which my father had to politely advise them that he had none and that the records must be in correct!!

Thursday arrived and my father proceeded to Southmead Hospital arriving at 12noon for his appointment at 1pm.

After being admitted to the ward he was advised that his Pre-op information could not be located and so he had to go through the whole process again.

At 2pm my father was informed that he had been changed on the waiting list from patient no.4 to No.5, and his operation would be at 4pm.

In between the waiting time my father was visited by the surgeon to discuss the surgery.

Worryingly the surgeon spoke of just one growth that had to be removed of which my father pointed out that there were several more than just one! the surgeon also asked about my fathers blood clots of which, again, my father had to advise he had none, of which the surgeon responded by agreeing and advising the notes have been scribbled out!

Just before 4pm my father was advised by the surgeon that he would be next and that the operation they were just about to perform on patient 4 would only take 10 minutes.

At 4.10pm I arrived at the hospital to be told that my fathers operation would take place in 20 mins and to wait in the waiting room.

At 4.20pm I received a call from my father telling me that his operation had been cancelled and that he should go home!

After returning to the ward I confronted the reception who kindly retrieved a member of the medical staff, of whom had a very casual attitude towards the fact that my 71 year old father, who had been waiting all day and starved himself from the previous evening and was extremely anxious for the whole week, had been left waiting in a bed all afternoon, told that his surgery would be imminent, only to be shipped out the door with nothing achieved apart from a very unpleasant experience!!

What is not appreciated by this act is the fact that my father had to find cover for his current job for the six weeks he was going to be away from his job, and now he has to rearrange everything and wait for another appointment.

We appreciate that appointments can be cancelled but really whilst the person is lying in the hospital bed waiting!!! it is absolutely disgusting!!

And the excuse for not undertaking his operation on this day was some what fanciful, I believe that lack of notes on my father was the main reason for the operation to be delayed.

Very Very unhappy with this hospital and its processes.