"Excellent Care"

I was operated on in the Day Surgery Unit at Darlington Memorial Hospital on 18th February. I have had day surgery and in-patient care in a number of hospitals and this was by far the best experience to date. Right from arrival I was met with a high degree of care and understanding which helped to put me at ease. The Staff Nurse, looked after me all day, she explained clearly what was going to happen and did everything possible to make a stressful situation as easy as possible. She, and all the other staff showed a great deal of professionalism, humour, care and understanding. My Consultant met me and explained fully what she was preparing to do and what may cause her to differ from the planned path. However, the stars were the Anaesthetic Team, and sadly I have lost the piece of paper with their names. During a previous operation at a different hospital I had a number of problems coming round from the anaesthetic, they had read my notes and were prepared tor this, they spoke at length about the problems I had experienced in the past then met with the Consultant to form a plan. They then took the time to explain the plan to me and put me completely at ease. They took their time over the anaesthetic process, even at one point telling the Consultant that I would be ready when they said so (even said with humour but the message was clear). The recovery staff were also excellent although I was too sleepy to catch any of their names. Due to my anaesthetic problems I was three hours in recovery. This is the only slight criticism I would give. My wife had originally been told to ring at 10:30 when "I should be back from theatre" Due to the change in plans and the length of my recovery it was 13:30 before I was back and she had rang several times and was told he's not back yet. A little more information would have helped her stress levels somewhat. Although the outcome of the operation and the biopsy have resulted in me being told that my cancer has returned I still would like to convey my thanks for the care and understanding I received at the Hospital and I would certainly elect to undergo surgery there again if that was possible