Orpington Hospital 2020-02-09 Person 4 5 0

On the downside, we had great difficulty in actually getting information from administration staff as regarding results of a scan. In the end it took three months after contacting PALS. My operation was due in December and twice it was cancelled i.e. as it was to take place on the Monday, we came home to find a telephone message late Friday afternoon stating it had been cancelled. The second cancellation was as I was able to leave for the hospital, some two hours notice. No one seems to think of the patient's stress levels. Once in, I was treated and nursed well and discharged within a couple of days. I left hospital without the aid of a DN which I felt would have helped my situation having had a hip replacement. We did ask but the nurse was adamant I went to my Surgery. We had two set dates to arrange a Nurse at our Practice for change of dressing. No nurse was available at our Practice for the first date and my wife had to get me to their second practice, some distance from home by car, and then I just saw a Health Assistant. My wife's fears were founded in that she could not park near the Practice and I had to walk some distance for treatment. Whilst very capable, my wife has her own health issues and was extremely worried about getting me there. With asthma adding to the mix, my wife had to phone the Practice within a couple of days and say things weren't working out and, eventually, we got a DN to visit and had a telephone consultation with the GP. We did feel out on a limb, so to speak. With a DN visiting, it turned the whole situation around and, whilst we are active and independent, gave us that necessary support for a couple of weeks. With operations, such as hip replacements, I do think visits by the District Nurse are supportive and advantageous. With no DN backup the first week it gave my wife and I tremendous worry and a feeling of isolation. I had the first hip replaced at Guy's and they automatically arranged a DN and was much easier than this time.