"Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust"

This is the text of a letter I wrote to the surgeon who operated on me at the beginning of January 2006:

"I am the chap on whom you operated on Wednesday 4th January after you had decided that I had a duodenal ulcer that was bleeding into my gut. I was released from hospital the following Wednesday and I am delighted to be able to tell you that everything is going very well. I am in no pain or discomfort and, best of all, the almost nightly pain I had been suffering for some months and which I put down to some sort of indigestion has completely disappeared.

My reasons for writing to you are twofold. Firstly to offer to you, your team and all the support staff of Good Hope Hospital most sincere thanks from myself and my wife for a job carried out so expertly and efficiently. Thank you all so much.

Secondly, to say how impressed I was by the sense of team spirit that seems to pervade all the parts of the hospital with which I was brought into contact. This is a particular impression from your own team who were unfailing in their kindness to me and their willingness to take time to explain things to me.

This was my first contact of any significance with a hospital (not bad for a 67-year old!), and like most people I have been subjected over many years to the negative publicity on the subject with which our media seem so preoccupied. However, one can only “speak as one finds”, and all that I experienced in Good Hope Hospital over those ten days has left me with a totally positive “take” on the subject. I think that we are very lucky to have our NHS and its hospitals. You do a great job and we should be more appreciative of it.

Yours etc"