"Excellent care from all staff"

I had waited a long time for a referral so I was worried when I hadn't received a letter confirming my appointment. When I phoned up, however, I was told the only reason I hadn't received a letter was that they didn't want me to have to travel all the way to Exeter twice so were trying to book me in for the procedure right away - amazing, I thought I was going to have to spend a whole day travelling twice! As soon as this was sorted, I was emailed all the appropriate paperwork for an appointment in only a few days' time.

When I arrived at the hospital, all the staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating of all my silly questions. I was showed to a private room (even though I was only a day case) by a lovely lady and a new member of staff in training (who was also brilliant). My nurse came by to introduce herself and explained everything really clearly. I met my surgeon soon after who got straight to the point explaining what would happen during the procedure and let me make my own decisions about medication etc. Everyone in the operating room was just as friendly and professional and even though I could tell the nurses in the recovery room were having a very busy day, they still took excellent care of me and took the time to chat and make me comfortable.

Once back in my room, my nurse popped in to check on me every so often and it was clear she wanted me to be able to go home that day (remember the long journey home). Even the people who brought in the food a little while after getting back to the room served it with a smile! Another nurse and a physiotherapist helped me to get up and about on some crutches so I could go home that day and took me all the way down to the car to make sure I got there safely.

Overall, I could not fault the excellent staff from all departments and the impressive level of care they provided.

Note: I was referred on the NHS and was treated no differently than paying patients.