"Treatment due to trauma"

I had a mountain bike accident earlier this month resulting in 2 broken ribs and a pneumothorax for which I spent 3 days in Wrexham Maelor and am now convalescing at home. 

The care I received was very good but there are a number of points which I feel could be improved and most of them appear to be related to communication.

1. My CT scan took place at a staff handover time, someone must have been distracted as the scan report recorded the injury to be the right side of my chest when in fact it was the left.  I know this because the doctor treating me pointed this report error out to me.

2. I am gluten intolerant and also do not eat meat, eggs or dairy.  I was not asked about my dietary requirements until day 2 and I did sit with a member of staff and complete a meal plan.  Until the end of my stay the kitchen failed to prepare any of the choices I had selected, there was not even any non dairy milk available.  Luckily my family had kept me supplied.

3.  Post discharge communication issues:

   a. I had a concern about my condition and had a GP appointment, the GP said a follow up appointment should be made when the notes had arrived from Wrexham and to ring the surgery if I had not heard from them by the following midweek.  When I phoned the surgery I was told the notes had not arrived and it was suggested to me that I might like to ring the hospital.  I did and reception put me straight through to the x-ray department secretary who organised to have the notes faxed straight to the surgery.

  b.  At the doctor visit the doctor was unable to get hold of the notes even though they were at the surgery and had to go off a brief summary from the GP who had reviewed them on arrival.

c.  As the doctor did not have access to my pre-disharge chest x-ray I was sent to Leighton hospital for another chest x-ray.

It seems incredible that in 2018 my GP practice cannot get instant access to information regarding a recent trauma and be forced to repeat an x-ray that already existed in digital format.