"unorganised"

Thank you for taking the time to post your comments on NHS Choices about your husband’s recent experience within the Urology department at the Freeman Hospital. We always aspire to the highest standards and we are sorry that on this occasion we fell short of this. Ward 1 is a day case ward with the facility for patients to stay overnight if required. Medication is normally prescribed in the evening for those patients who do need an overnight stay. It is Unacceptable that your husband’s medication was not administered as it should have been and we would like to offer our sincere apologies that this did not happen on this occasion.

With regard to your comment about the length of time taken for a bed to be made available we are sorry that you felt the time your husband had to wait for a bed was not acceptable, and that the reason for this was not clearly explained to you on the day. As ward 1 is a ‘Day of surgery arrival’ ward all patients are asked to attend at 7am as this allows the opportunity for them to be reviewed by the medical and anaesthetic staff before the start of the theatre list at 8.30am. Unfortunately beds are not always immediately available at 7.00am as we are still arranging the discharge of the patients who needed an overnight stay the previous day Each day there is invariably patients waiting for discharge beds, usually all patients have a bed by 10.00. Patients are allocated beds depending upon their position on the theatre list. Please be assured that the fact that patients are not immediately allocated at bed on arrival at 7am does not in any way compromise their care. We are currently working with the anaesthetist to look at ways of improving the length of time patients have to wait for a bed when they arrive.

Not all of our patients have problems with urinary dribbling following a cystoscopy and biopsy and, for this reason, pads are made available on an individual basis if they are needed by the patient. I am sorry that we did not meet your husband’s needs in this respect, and that this was not clearly explained to you at the time. We hope the difficulty your husband experienced with this has now resolved and that he is now recovering well. It is very difficult for us to investigate your concerns further without any of your husband’s details, and we would be happy to do so. If you do wish for a more detailed explanation of the care provided, please contact Matron Sally Ridley or Mr Paul Anderson, Patient Relations Manager on 0191 233 6161