"Day surgery needs better organisation and..."

came to day surgery on 2.09.15, at 7am.

All going well but still waiting at 11am, with no idea when I would be going for procedure. Sister tells me there are constantly 2 people in front of me and that they had 13 theatres working to manage the list. So you starve yourself, arrive very early and can wait until who knows when until your turn is next! Very 1960s organisation. 11.30 and I see their shiny new theatre, some 4.5 hours after arriving, some not as 'lucky' as me. Clearly, to corrall so many people in and make sure their patient pathway is managed competently requires further professional reorganisation. If other local hospitals can manage their day cases more efficiently, with turn around times far more 21st century, then RLH with its self-aggrandisement publicity should be at least equalling others. But the disorganisation went on: the staff forgot to contact my colleague to pick me up even though they had asked me 4 times for the details and absolutely assured me they were going to call her. Upon my further insistence the ward sister asked their team if my colleague had been contacted - oops! Sorry! The nurse forgot! How many times were we assured this would be "done with no problems"? Again, ward sister very apologetic, even going out of their way to contact her and make sure I did not leave unaccompanied well done them! But why should a ward sister have to do what a clerk or nurse should have done? Again, poor departmental organisation and communication needs attention.