"Hysteroscopy in day surgery unit"

Anything else?

I was told to book in at 7.45 for a hysteroscopy under GA in the day surgery unit on 24.10.13. On arrival I was told that I was the last patient on the list .I eventually had my operation around 4 hours later. The waiting room was over run with people and around 10 am older people with wheelchairs and frames starting arriving for their surgery. My husband was unable to wait with me as there were no seats and indeed the facilities and room for these patients was totally inadequate. It was really hard for carers to open the doors into the small waiting room and arrange seating for them. I was allowed to wait on the ward by myself and watched for hours whilst other ladies having the same procedure were wheeled in and out. At around 11am I had a dizzy spell with a pounding headache and had to be put on a drip before my operation, probably due to dehydration or low blood sugar. During my wait the ward was full of elderly men and my privacy was compromised. The curtain around my bed did not close correctly and was gaping open. It was in truth an horrific experience due to inadequate facilities. Just telling a patient that they are going to have to wait a long time does not make it any easier. The facilities do not exist to wait and as a result I am still upset by what occurred. I had the same operation in a purpose built day surgery unit four years ago in Bristol and the facilities and care were exceptional. It was a humiliating and degrading experience at Heatherwood Hospital. Pauline Dunn