"Fantastic gastro and day-surgery staff - highly..."

What I liked

I had a number of appointments with the Gastro team at Pinderfields before being admitted for day surgery at the hospital. I was always satisfied with the appointments system, which seemed to run efficiently most of the time, and the treatment I received at these. I was also impressed that I was swabbed for MRSA at my pre-op assessment - it is reassuring the hospital is taking good measures to tackle this problem.

I was very nervous about surgery, but the staff completely put me at my ease from the moment I was assessed on the morning until the moment I left for hom in the afternoon. The nurse who went through my assessment with me was efficient and kind, clearly very good at her job. I was seen prior to the op by the consultant, who explained everything very clearly to me and was very reassuring. The anaesthetist also assessed me and, due to my weight, elected to give me a spinal anaesthetic instead of a general for safety reasons - again it was reassuring to know they put my safety first rather than doing what was easiest for them.

Whilst I was having the spinal anaesthetic done the whole team made me as comfortable as possible for what is not a pleasant procedure, talking to me throughout, explaining what was happening and treating me with great compassion and very welcome humour. Being awake for the op had been a nerve wracking thought, but it was actually fascinating to see inside the theatre. It is a new building, and the theatre was impressively large, well set out, well equipped and spotlessly clean. A nurse talked to me throughout the procedure to reassure me, as did the consultant.

Some aspects of the after care were excellent - the staff were friendly and good at their jobs. I was given a nice sandwich and cup of tea, and the orderlies were always checking if I needed any other refreshment etc. The recovery area was again very clean and quite bright/welcoming for a hospital ward.

What could be improved

The after-care area was not ideal - the staff were rushed off their feet (and apparently it was a quiet day), and were not happy they had been lumbered with someone who had a spinal anaesthetic who took longer to recover post-op and was taking up a bed. The ward was mixed sex, though the areas were kept seperate as far as possible, but the toilet doors had no locks (to prevent people collapsing when locked in I suspect) and hence I was constantly worried a man would walk in on me.

Anything else?

Overall, I was very happy with my treatment at Pinderfields and would happily be treated there again. There were a few niggles as outlined about, but overall the good far outweighed these. The gastro team are thoroughly professional and very skilled, as are the nursing staff/other staff involved in the day surgery Unit. The main issues seemed to be more down to admin/space management issues than anything else - I had no concerns about my medical care at all.