"Day surgery, long day but good treatment."

I had an operation to treat carpal tunnel syndrome in the day surgery department. I arrived at 12 noon as advised and could see it was very busy. After being directed to take a seat, I settled in to wait. 75 minutes later I was finally booked in by the nurse, weighed and had my blood checked,(I am a type 1 diabetic). A further hour then passed until the surgeon assisting my consultant, saw me to discuss the op and complete the consent forms. A further 30 minutes later I was directed to a cubicle to undress and put a gown on. I was then directed to follow the yellow footprints on the floor into another waiting area. I then had to wait a further 2 and a half hours in this ante-room. During this time I was given no information regarding when I might be seen, no drinks were available or offered. Eventually the surgeon came to administer the local anesthetic and 25 minutes later I was collected and taken to the operating room. The operation went very well, all the theatre staff were friendly and chatty and even though I was the last patient in a long day, they were not in a rush to get me out. I was given verbal instruction on how to look after my wound by the surgeon, after which I was taken back to get dressed and sit in the discharge room. The nurses there were great, getting me a cup of tea, some toast, checking my blood and explaining in detail what to expect and what to do if I had any problems. I was then provided with a phone to call home to be collected. All in all a successful day, I was expecting a wait, however a little more contact from the admitting team, particularly when being moved to Room 2 would be helpful.