"Great Centre, Great Treatment"

Anything else?

I recently had a total hip replacement as a patient in Room 20, bed 4. From the start I felt that I was in safe hands - every step of the procedure was explained so that I could understand what was being done and what was about to happen. This made me feel relaxed and less apprehensive than I expected. The staff I met were, without exception, absolutely splendid. The ward doctors and nurses, pre-med and theatre staff and those I met from the physio and pharmacy departments were easy to relate to.as well as knowledgeable in their particular field. and they all seemed confident and relaxed, I have been a patient in other hospitals and have sensed underlying pressures and tensions between staff which have added anxiety to the experience, but there was nothing like this at Emersons Green. Everyone was happy!. The procedure did not go entirely as expected, but the surgeon took care to explain the reasons for this and the changes they had to make. After care was fine - I suffered very little pain and was regularly monitored for blood pressure, temperature and all the other things you do. Drugs were dispensed without fuss and I was invited to choose the level of pain relief and advised accordingly. The physiotherapist was patient and worked within my comfort zone, extending what I managed to achieve with each visit. I was well briefed on what to do and what to avoid on discharge and felt confident to leave when 'signed off.' The facilities provided are excellent - it is obviously a lovely, new, well-planned building designed with patient privacy in mind and the catering was excellent. Much more than this, however, I value the kindness of the staff and quality of the care I received. I have one or two suggestions to make. The first is that the button to flush the toilet is very difficult to reach without bending or twisting when dependent on walking aids. Secondly, I would like to say that I missed my first appointment because I couldn't find you! The map enclosed seemed to be specific to the Bristol area and I came from West Gloucestershire and got lost! It almost put me off, but I'm glad it didn't! Finally, there seems to be a bit of a barrier among patients and GPs outside the Bristol area. A lot of elderly people don't like change and want to stick to what they know - here, this means Gloucester Royal - and I have recently heard a GP grumble that these new clinics will lead to a 'two-tier' NHS. I don't want to go into politics, but in the interests of your admissions figures, you may need to consider this. I hope this helps - and many, many thanks.