"pressure ulcers"

I had a total left hip replacement at Watford General Hospital on 29th March this year.

After three or four days I reported to the night nurse on two occasions that I had not slept well due to pain in the heel of my left foot. I also mentioned it to the physiotherapist. Each time the response was " Oh that's normal" ( The physiotherapy was in fact making things worse with the rubbing of the heel on the mattress)

I was discharged on 7th April and was visited by the District Nurse on 10th April to have the hip dressing changed. I told them about my heel and they immediately diagnosed it as a pressure ulcer..

I am pleased to say that after nearly six months of twice weekly visit by the wonderful nursing team based at Harpenden Memorial Hospital the healing process is now almost complete.

This past six months I have not been able to walk - other than in the house and I have not been able to drive my car.

I will now need a lot more physiotherapy to get me moving again.

I would like to end by saying that apart from this event I have had excellent treatment at Watford General over the past three years.

My main reason for writing this review is to highlight the need for both patient and staff to be made more aware of the consequences of sustaining a pressure ulcer and how important it is to diagnose the problem early and that periodic checks should be carried out on bed patients as a matter of routine.