"Prostate Cancer Treatment"

Anything else?

The start to finish approach of the Prostate Cancer Service sounds too good to be true. The reality, for me, was different from the hospital promoted testimonials. I was reassured to read on the hospital website that prostate conditions ... can be sensitive and very distressing. However, I was not offered or asked if I preferred female staff to undertake intimate examinations which were offered without warning and without any early notification, I later found out my GP was expected to have alerted me to procedures I should expect at the first clinic. My treatment options were explained carefully and I was given as much time as I needed to ask questions. I was directed to other sources of information and agreed that a radical prostatectomy was the best way forward for me. The surgery team worked well together. Everyone appears to have a role and did it very well. The pre-admission notes did not warn me about MRSA and MRSA screening as this was a general screening that most patients have to go through. This should be included in the general pre-admission notes. It would be nice to see patient modesty and patient dignity raised at every point of service delivery. I was disappointed and shamed to find that the follow up clinics are led, once again, by female nurses and nurse specialists. Despite plenty of book knowledge they could not fully understand by personal fears and depression that incontinence and changes to sexual function had caused. They offered inappropriate comments and were dismissive of solutions I had read elsewhere. I think when care involves gender based disease then patients should at least have an option to speak to a nurse or clinician of the same gender if they prefer who may be more able to empathise and also reduce embarrassment for the patient. I am sure female cancer patients would not tolerate male care in the way the hospital expects men to be cared for by female staff. Overall, the surgical and clinical care was very good, The hospital is efficient and clean. There is a lot more room to improve on patient care and sensitivities.