"Appalling"

The treatment I received from this hospital, both pre and post procedure was extremely poor. ( The team performing the procedure were from another hospital and excellent).

I was told by Spire that I would receive pre-admission instructions.

After many phone calls from me I finally received some details but spent 2 days prior to admission trawling pharmacists in Plymouth and Southampton for a prescription that proved unnecessary .

Post procedure I told a nurse I needed to urinate and was told I would need to use a bed pan. After perhaps an hour another nurse told me I could walk to the toilet.

I pointed out a blood blister on my right groin.

When I got back into bed the blister seemed quite large. The 2 nurses put pressure either side of the blister and I was left with instructions to exert pressure myself even though I was extremely weak and lying down so that the angle was wrong. I was told I would have hourly checks. I was very uncomfortable as various cloths were wound round my legs from the procedures with the blister. My pillows were badly positioned and I did not sleep.

As far as I was aware no checks were made until I discovered a lot of blood in the bed.At this point a nurse from ICU came up and applied pressure for some time directly over the cleaned blister until the bleeding stopped. I needed the loo again and this time was given a bedpan.

I had been waiting quite some time and my bladder was full.

Some of the urine must have slopped into the bed.

I pointed this out and was told that “it wasn’t that bad” . I mentioned that the bed was wet on at least 3 occasions but it wasn’t until the morning shift that that the bed was changed because it was wet. Soiled bedding and cloths were left on visitors’ chair.

I could rarely locate the call button as it disappeared under the bed.

I had to ask a passing visitor to call the nurse.

I was discharged without any dressings, though they were ticked off on the discharge form, and later bled on my hotel's bedding.

The staff there were very helpful and supplied dressings.