"Sheer professionalism, courtesy & obvious care"

This June I attended an urgent referral appointment arranged by my GP where I was to undergo a flexible cystoscopy at Louth CH.

I was very concerned as I was aware that this could mean that I possibly had a cancer problem in my bladder.

My appointment was for 3-25 & I was seen shortly after that - no undue waiting & I was aware that appointments can be delayed due to unforseen circumstances etc. , so no problem there.

From the moment I was called forward by the nurse for my appointment & for the rest of the procedure I was greatly impressed & touched by the sheer professionalism, courtesy & obvious care that the endoscopy team showed me. ( The 3 "scopies" concerned are named Tina, Jayne & Angie with Angie being the keyworker.

Everything was fully explained to me in a way that was not patronising or overly complicated during all stages of this procedure & bearing in mind that it is a very personal sort of procedure involving those parts most men can be very sensitive about, including a prostate check, I am pleased to be able to say that these 3 marvellous professionals managed to keep me at relative ease & fully informed at every stage - I did not really have time to fret & although the procedure of a cystocopy is a bit uncomfortable there was no pain. ( They told me to wriggle my toes at various times & kept talking to me, so my mind was diverted & found the procedure of some interest as you are able to see on a screen exactly what is going on - fascinating may seem a bit of a bizarre description, but fascinating it was)!

Unfortunately a growth was discovered & further investigation / treatment via a rigid cystocopy, where a one or two night stay in hospital is likely required, is being arranged.

Again, the implications, procedure & next steps were fully explained & all my questions about the growth were answered without me experiencing any thoughts that anything was being hidden or kept from me - there was no evasion & being the person I am this impressed me no end.

The team were so kind & caring it is hard to find words without rambling on forever, so suffice it to say that they are the most marvellous people & Louth hospital & patients are most fortunate to have them.

I know that this is probably just the beginning of a longer journey regarding the discovery of that darn growth, but I am better placed to deal with it due to the diligence & care of these professionals.

I also say all this with some deal of experience regarding NHS care as several years ago & more recently I had undergone stenting of vessels around my heart & a AAA open surgery to repair a couple of large aneurysms - a major operation.

My care during those procedures was good although there had been an issue with one aspect of the AAA repair recovery & the staff involved were also good people, especially the head of the intensive care team at Pilgrm Hospital in Boston who was outstanding.

Comparatively, the "scopie"team at Louth are the Gold Medal winners in my view for the best overall performance & I do so thank them.

Anyone who is going to Louth for the same or similar procedures should take heart that will be in excellent hands & should therefore not "nurse" any undue concerns - I cannot think that anyone anywhere could do any better. Bless you all.

Finally, being from near Lincoln this was a 28 mile journey as no appointments were available at Lincoln Hospital, so that was good luck coupled with the fact that parking at Louth was just £2-00 whereas Lincoln would costed £4-00! !