"Worried - notes mix up"

Dear T00kats – I was sorry to hear of the apparent confusion you experienced at your preoperative appointment and that this has left you concerned. Clearly a hip clinic appointment should not have been sent. I do not have any details of your case, but I suspect that the appointment was not cancelled when the earlier confusion was resolved and the invitation to attend was issued erroneously from the system. Please accept my apologies for the anxiety this has caused. Please be assured appointments are only ever cancelled after all other options are considered. Patient safety is paramount in these decisions. Theatre lists are planned and booked based on historical data about the level of expected emergency operations in order to ensure sufficient capacity for elective surgery is available. This is because we understand the planning that many patients have to undertake ahead of their surgery. Recently some cancellations occurred due to issues with the advanced air pressure infection control equipment as a safety precaution, and so some elective lists were affected. However, these issues are now resolved and the new theatres are working normally delivering much improved facilities for patients. The parking situation will ease as soon as the phase 2 building project is completed. This will see the demolition of the new hospital that will then free up space for a new multi-story car park for patients, delivering improved access to the hospital and also reducing the traffic at the main entrance. Unfortunately, this could not be delivered until the Brunel building was open to allow the old hospital buildings to be vacated. The temporary pinch point for parking is due to a classic “chicken and egg” scenario, but this will be resolved next September. Kind Regards - Steve Sykes Advice and Complaints Team