"Waiting all day for surgery "

I was asked to attend Martlesham ward on Oct 9th for a procedure involving the DIP joint of my left index finger. I arrived at 7am, as requested and was placed in a small waiting room with two other patients. After an hour, I was taken to a ward and given a chair in the centre of the ward floor. I then saw my consultant who marked my hand for surgery and said that as they were doing the general anaesthetic cases first, mine wouldn't be done until around 11.30. I asked if it would be in order for me to go and walk around and get some coffee, it was, so I did. I came back to my chair in the the centre of the ward at 10.30, it was rather a cold and windy day.

Later I was given the "glamourous" hospital gowns to wear, and still I sat in the centre of the ward, with my clothes at my feet. I asked several nurses what the delay was and got little information. Not once was I offered even a cup of tea, by this time it was past noon. Patients on the ward were given their lunches and drinks.

I realise that my finger surgery was relatively unimportant to most of the people there, but it was important to me, it hurts, and the surgery would relieve that pain.

At 2pm, after 7 HOURS of waiting, I went into the bathroom, got dressed, removed my wristband and left the ward. I was too angry to speak to anyone there at the time.

It has now been a week since all this happened and I have had not one word from the hospital, by phone or mail or even email.

I feel something needs to be done about waiting times. If the surgery is to take place at 3pm, call me in at 2pm, I'll be there. Don't ever call me in at 7am and keep me waiting for 7 hours or more, I have other things I could be doing.