Cleveland Clinic London Hospital 2022-06-19 Person 5 5 0

I was very scared about having surgery for the first time, but I could not have felt more cared for. Everything that was going to happen during my stay was very well explained, and I felt I was in very safe hands. My pain was managed as well as possible, and how I should care for myself at home was outlined clearly. A nurse called me at home the next day to ask how I was, and I was able to voice any concerns I had. A follow up appointment with Mr Imber was arranged during the day, which was reassuring. Overall the experience was excellent, and I would highly recommend the Cleveland Clinic to anyone considering surgery. I was looked after during my stay by one nurse, Jezel Cuyos, which added to the feeling of being safe and cared for. I want to say how brilliant she was, so kind and patient, and also competent, and even let me know when she was going for a break, if I needed anything. I would like to thank all the nurses and doctors who helped me through a very difficult day.

While the actual procedure was made as easy as possible, the organisation beforehand could have been better. Appointments were made for a pre-assessment at the outpatients dept, and blood/COVID tests. The pre-assessment was very good. I was given all the information I would need for my stay in hospital, and I had blood tests at the same time. The following week I returned for a COVID test, which the nurse performed, and unfortunately the results was invalid, so I had to return the next day to repeat it. Also one of the blood tests had been missed from the original list, so that was done with the second COVID test. Unfortunately, again, that blood clotted, so I had to return the day before the surgery to have that repeated. I was travelling from Huntingdon every day, and the possibility that the requisite checks may not be complete by the day of surgery was not reassuring. Also I was initially told that I needed to be at the hospital at 6.30am on the day of the surgery, and was then phoned to say it had been changed to 10am. A couple of days before I was phoned again to say it was actually 6.30am. I stayed in a hotel in London overnight the night before the surgery, and considered cancelling this when I thought my admission time was 10am. If this hadn’t been caught by someone I would have missed my surgery slot.

Mr Charles Imber explained what the procedure would be in an initial consultation, and spoke to me both before and after the surgery. He was kind, and I felt reassured that I was in good hands.

My nurse Jezel Cuyos was outstanding.