"Thank you letter following recent surgery, to CEO"

Patrick Loxdale FRCS Orth. Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 29 March 2015 I would like to thank you, on behalf of all the members of your team involved in my recent surgical care (shoulder surgery Thursday 5 March). Particular thanks to two people, but also to everyone else, from the staff in MRI and the radiology department, the pre-assessment unit, the admissions team on Violet Wills, all the theatre staff including the recovery unit, and of course the nurses, health care assistants and domestic staff on Ella Rowcroft ward. I would also like to mention the unseen team players, in particular the admin staff without whom nothing would happen; the porters who deliver the logistics (and patients!) which allow the hospital to work; and those who provide us with sterile surgical instruments, working often unseen, and perhaps feeling a bit unloved, but in truth maintaining one of the foundation pillars of safe surgical practice. As a surgeon, I know that the work that all these people do, has a big impact on the quality of surgical outcomes. The fact that so many people are doing a great job day in and day out, is a testament to their own high standards and motivation, and also to the organisation in which they work. We all know how hard it is to measure quality in healthcare. It is also probably true to suggest that consultant surgeons are as well placed as anyone to really know the safety and quality of the work that goes on in their unit. For me, it was a “no-brainer” to choose to come to Torbay for my surgery! I can’t help but note that some of my immediate colleagues clearly feel the same way. The fact that experienced consultants choose to be treated in their own hospital by colleagues they know, is arguably the ultimate positive “Friends and Family” accolade. Please pass on my thanks to those involved in my care. Yours sincerely, Patrick Loxdale