"Extremely poor experience - post operative care..."

I have visited this hospital on many occasions in the past, both as an outpatient and for minor surgery. On previous occasions the care and consideration had been professional and appropriate.

On my most recent visit, for surgery, I found to my distress that post operative care was totally inadequate, inappropriate and the lack of professionalism did not meet my needs as a patient.

I have of course expressed my concerns with the hospital. But with little effect other than excuses. I feel therefore that sharing my experience - and my opinion - here to be appropriate - as if I had read a similar review I would have been better informed about what to be alert to at this hospital.

Firstly, the hospital did not record either then or on the day of admission or during pre-operative assessments that I was intolerant to ibuprofen. I mentioned this twice during the day - both to the nurse and anaesthetist. It appears this was not recorded - and later was used as a justification for providing no post operative pain medication whatsoever

For hospital staff to fail on 3 occasions to record my intolerance of ibuprofen should be a concern as it is a requirement (and a standard) by which the CQC assess the hospital

As in all hospitals post operative processes exist by which hospitals are required to use a pain scale to determine and record patient assessments of the levels of pain they are experiencing. Again this is a standard requirement against which hospitals are assessed by the CQC. On my visit the recording of the 'pain levels' was not only patchy (ie it didn't happen regularly when it was supposed to - but also the 'record' did not accurately reflect the pain scores I gave the nurse attending to me)

For a hospital to fail to assess and record each of my pain level assessments half hourly, accurately (and with the hospital staff missing recording one completely) should be a matter of great concern as it is these ‘recordings’ that help assess and determine appropriate patient recovery from surgery and need for pain medication both in 'recovery' and at discharge

It should, I feel, also be a matter of great concern to the leadership of Spire Gatwick Park hospital that your hospital staff told me that no pain medication was available, nor was any to be prescribed. How could that be correct given my description to the nurse that I was ‘screaming out loud with pain’? Might this have been as a result of the inaccurate and missing recording of information about my pain levels (and intolerance of ibuprofen) - with one mistake leading to another

So, exactly 'what was the pain management advice offered to me by your hospital': your hospital staff advised me that “paracetamol coverts to morphine when it reaches the liver”. That's the hospital staff advice. That is complete rubbish and so unprofessional. It should be a matter of huge concern that this is the advice given out by staff to patients at this hospital.