Miss Cara Baker 2021-12-02 Person 5 5 0

Cara Baker has an approach to the inguinal hernia which is proven safer than that adopted by many other consultant surgeons who, unlike her, introduce foreign bodies (bungs or mesh) Cara Baker also respects the area webbed as it is with many nerves and vessels. At our first meeting a virtual one as I had a head injury and couldn’t travel Cara Baker immediately put me at my ease and set to professionally from the CT scan to which she had access. Subsequently when I met her at St Thomas for my Pre op and clinical assessment she clarified her approach and the rationale for it. As previously she was punctual, efficient and kind, i throughout the process had total faith in her. She kindly made sure all clinical assessment took place to keep to a minimum my travelling in to London from whitstable in kent. For the hernia operation itself Cara Baker made sure it would be morning surgery at the w/end so my escort to would be accommodated. When more urgent cases had to take priority from within St Thomas’ Cara Baker made sure I was kept abreast of developments. Her team throughout were also a total delight keeping me wrapped in hot blankets and calm despite the delay. As it was a complicated procedure Cara Baker stayed on my case while another patient she diverted to her excellent colleague. Her anaesthetist too put me at my ease so all went smoothly. Subsequent to the procedure, Cara Baker came by me in recovery to remind me she had glued not stitched me and I’d be showering later! She reassured me all had gone exactly as she had planned and that I’d only need pain-killers of the mildest nature the next three or four days. I hope Cara Baker next has time to write ‘speedy interventions’ then ‘speedy recovery’ In kent I had the hernia months before a scan or consultant meeting I had waited a year already and would have waited a further year. Cara Baker was refreshingly different Did I want this Friday or Saturday or next week’s It was also excellent having and being able to support a female surgeon I feel honoured to have been operated on by Ms Cara Baker and cannot recommend her highly enough.