"Outstanding physical and technical..."

What I liked

Outstanding physical and technical infrastructure

Access to world-class surgery

Cosmopolitan and "fun" staff

Relaxed atmosphere with a lot of privacy

What could be improved

Continuity of care staff - especially in a befuddled post-op state, the inexperienced in-patient needs to know "who's who" - I never seemed to meet the same nurses/therapists/clinicians two days running!

It was never clear to me who was the nurse formally in charge. I experienced a couple of distressing (painful and undignified) incidents on the ward, but had no-one I felt I could speak to to nip my unhappiness in the bud.

Although I liked (see above) the multinational staff, you do inevitably need to keep a constant watch on their skills in English language and social "norms".

OK, cheap shot - but, er, keep on improving the food... (Fruit juice with breakfast - I'd pay to have that!)

My discharge seemed a bit shambolic - it made it hard for my family to co-ordinate their planning. Again, the inexperienced in-patient "doesn't know what they don't know", so it's intrinsically nerve-racking - you're not quite sure whether you're clear to go or not!

Anything else?

There is nothing here that cannot be solved by increased attention to i) organisation and ii) seeing things from the patient's point of view. All of the hard stuff has alreasy been done: hence my conclusion that UCH has world-class performance within its grasp.

Please may I just end by sending my warmest thanks to everyone concerned!