"Day Surgery - It honestly felt like a holiday"

The day didn't start well as unfortunately I forgot to bring my letter with me. There was nobody in reception or anywhere in the entrance I could speak to and the signs were confusing. I eventually found a leaflet with a number and got through to a very understanding member of staff who  put me through to the right department but it went straight to an answering service.

I managed to work out where to go, but I'm fairly brazen and these days, had I been younger I would have been scared. Once I got through to Day Surgery the staff were without exception absolutely wonderful. They made me feel safe, confident and cared for. It honestly felt like a holiday.

Having been in hospitals a few times with my daughter over the last few years my experience is consistent: the staff are absolutely wonderful, warm and kind but the hospitals themselves don't have enough signs and many of the signs are full of jargon. I was admitted to triage in an ambulance and only realised after I had left the queue that I had no idea what triage meant. I have an English degree. I still don't know what should go in the clinical waste bins and what should go in the 'household' waste.

The NHS is a wonderful thing and it's staff are basically superheroes so I wouldn't want to add any pressure to the hospital. They are doing an excellent job. I wonder if it might be worth investigating the possibility of a Writer in Residence to work with patients and staff?