"Disappointment with standard of dressing and..."

Anything else?

I had an operation on my hand on 19th March and plaster and bandaging was put on during the operation. I had to go in to the hospital to have the plaster removed on 22nd March. The appointment was at 1.30pm but I received a telephone call in the morning. to ask me to go in as soon as possible as the doctor I was to see had to an emergency to attend to at 1pm. I got to the hospital around 10am. I was directed after a while waiting to the Surgical Appliance department. On entering an office the doctor took me into I was disgusted at the state of the office. There was a computer on the desk and general disarray of documents. At one point when the doctor was looking for some dressing he took up a pile of what appeared to be rubbish and threw it to one side using both hands. He cut the plaster and bandage off and then threw this on to the floor. He put a splint on the hand and then started to dress my hand with a pad secured by strapping with Velcro fastenings. I asked if it was going to be left like that and he said yes. I asked if I could have a bandage wrapped around as I felt it was insecure. He advised it did not need it. I suggested it would come off when I use the hand to get undressed or overnight when asleep. He said if it came off just put it back on.

During the appointment he said he had to go to Woolwich and Telford that afternoon. The appointment lasted a very short time.

At that time I thought of going somewhere else but did not pursue it with the doctor.

I left and when I got to the entrance door of the hospital to leave my finger was out of the splint and the dressing had come all loose. I went back to the office hoping to see the doctor but he had already left.

I went to the A & E department and explained what had happened and asked them if they could dress it for me as I was in a lot of pain. The nurse asked me if the doctor cleaned the wound. I said it was not cleaned so the nurse did clean it. She also asked a colleague to look at the hand.

They put a silk dressing on the wound and then put the splint on and held it in place with tape and then dressed it with a bandage in conclusion, which I expected the doctor to do earlier.

I left happy because the dressing was now done to my satisfaction.

I did mention to the nurse, two ladies on Reception and a doctor I saw on entering A & E earlier about my experience with the doctor and the environment of the office where the dressing was done.

I did not expect the removal of plaster and dressing to be done in an office in such a state. I expected to be seen in a clean environment. This office had no cleaning facilities that I saw and I expected a dressing to be more secure. It only took two to three minutes for it to come loose after leaving the office.