"Excellent care during and following surgery"

What I liked

I had a laparoscopy and laparotomy because of a perforated duodenal ulcer. I arrived at A&E with unbearable stomach pains and it took a day to determine what was causing them. It was a worrying time and the surgical staff, particularly the surgeons and the anaesthetist, fully explained the purpose and risks of the operation. Following the operation I was on a number of wards, including the surgical recovery ward, where staff including consultants and registrars through to the cleaning and catering staff were excellent in all that they did to help me recover enough to be able to go home; they were kind, helpful and patient despite being very busy. I had recently given birth and staff kindly arranged for me to be in side rooms and have a cot and breast-pump to help with my newborn son. My follow-up care with the consultant surgeon since leaving hospital has also been excellent.

What could be improved

Some sort of general leaflet about the operation I had would have been very useful after I left hospital, because I did not know what to expect in terms of pain or time for recovery. This led to a call to 111 (NHS Direct )and a visit to my GP, which I suspect could have been avoided had I have been better informed about what to expect in the weeks after my operation.