"My consultant spent the time explaining ..."

What I liked

My consultant spent the time explaining my procedure and again spent time after my procedure fully answering all my questions. The nurses taking me down to surgery were friendly and chatty which totally helped with keeping me relaxed. Most of the nurses on the ward (gyno) were helpful and friendly.

What could be improved

The time i had to wait to get my bed on the day of surgery. Initially i should have been admitted the night before but received a 'phone call telling me they couldn't admit me then but if i wanted to come in they could do the pre-med checks and i could come back at 10am the next morning. Luckily i live close to the hospital so this wasn't too much of a problem. I then arrived at 10am the next morning and was told there still wasn't a bed free so had to wait in the waiting room where all the pregnant women wait for their scans etc. After been left there for over an hour i went back onto the ward to see what was happening as my operation was now meant to be just 2 hours away! I was then admitted. Had i not gone back into the ward how long would they have left me in the waiting room?! The surgery went well but during my recovery a patient was admitted to the bed next to me who was extremely demanding, rude and agressive. This made me feel on edge and disturbed everyone in the bay. I understand that beds have to be used where available but to have to worry about this whilst recovering from major surgery adds to the stress. My final complaint is that the day after i was discharged i received a 'phone call to say i needed to have my bloods taken. I went back up to the hospital that evening. The nurse who took my bloods barely spoke to me, used a latex glove to tie round my arm, didn't wear gloves themselves, struggled to find the vein and then didn't have a cotton pad to apply pressure with after the bloods were taken. Luckily i'd been accompanied by my mother who applied the pressure for me whilst the nurse went to find tape and dressing!

Anything else?

I feel it's unfair for women having gyno surgery to have to wait in a waiting room full of expectant mothers. Some people may be going for surgery which could prevent them having children and in the run up to this surgery they're surrounded by others who are expecting. I don't feel it's very sensitive and surely a separate area could be made for waiting.