"Great surgery, but no choice to stay with family"

I recently attended Homerton hospital for a simple surgical procedure that would have required me to be under general anaesthetic. I have had many surgical procedures in the past (as the result of a road traffic accident) and have always found the single most important part of my experience to be having my partner beside me: when tested, when speaking to the surgeon, and especially when recovering from anaesthesia. At Homerton, however, as of 1st June no family is allowed on the surgical journey with the patient - you say good bye at 7AM, and are united again when recovered from anaesthesia. This is beyond comprehensible to me, and put me in a state of anxiety and unwillingness to cooperate which I had never, ever experienced in the past. Indeed, in my haste to be reunited with my partner, which was my single top priority in order to feel safe, I did not eat or drink properly, got up too soon, and fainted in my way out of the unit. The staff in the surgical unit was warm and wonderful - but they were not my family. This pathway cannot have been designed in co-production with patients - no amount of efficiency gained can justify the distress caused to patients during such a delicate, vulnerable experience. I would have been calmer, more compliant and have had a much better experience with the comforting presence of my partner beside me - I would have recovered from anaesthesia more quickly, eaten and drunk. I appreciate that some efficiencies may have been made with the morning checklists and visits - but at too high a cost for the patient. Please remove this pathway immediately - I would never, ever have surgery at Homerton again under these conditions. This is not what is good for patients, and it is not what is good for them. The paradigm shift from "what's the matter with you" to "what matters to you" has not happened at Homerton.