Queen Alexandra Hospital 2018-12-04 Person 4 5 0

Better checking of correct patient details. I was telephoned the afternoon before my admission to say the operation may not go ahead as my blood test results could not be found , only to be phoned 2 hours later to say every thing Ok as they had got me mixed up with someone with the same surname .Different first name and DOB . On admission the same nurse made light of this when she said sorry , Ok fine but then gave me the incorrect wrist band which was discovered by the the nurse when she came to take me to theatre, My ward aftercare was extreemly good , all members of staff , caring and compasionate.Staff including the tea ladies and cleaners and nursing . The theatre staff and surgeons were more than excellent and I am very grateful to them, Constructive critism would be ( this is not a complaint ) More physio intervention , I had one 5 min chat with one who gave me a frame and walked me once across the room . The another who changed them for crutches and said he thought I could go home despite not having had any advice on stairs. The final day I had a lovely physio who helped me with the crutches and the stairs and gave me confidence, I would have found helpful in the first instance some advice on how best to get in and out of the bed .And perhaps some OT advice for home regarding a toilet frame or something. I found a great difference in the emphasis on hip replacement patience for physio and advice , knee replacement patients ( I had a complete knee and patella ) seemed an after thought . Pain control was OK though advised by surgeon if pain was extreme to ask for medication , however medication was only given at drug rounds and basically paracetamol nothing stronger until bedtime. The nurse who looked after me on the night of the operation i cannot praise enough , she gave me a drip as I had low blood pressure and reassured me throughout the night as I was a little disoriented . I am not complaining only raising points that may help other patients and when I return for my other knee operation I sincerely hope they thorough check identification as this could have been extremly dangerous for myself and the other patient plus caused extreme stress for myself and family . I would like to add it is very reasuring when the surgeons come and see you in the ward to check on progress. The theatre staff are wonderful and explain everything with care , I was not nervous and felt very safe in their hands , I had never had a spinal block before . Apart from the minor hiccups over identification the whole process from outpatients to surgery has been smooth.