"Beware of this procedure here"

What I liked

My husband was in Day Surgery for a colonoscopy. He says the doctor and theatre staff who performed this were professional, respectful to him and made him feel fairly at ease, as much as it is possible to feel at ease with this horrible procedure. I don't know why one can't have general anaesthetic

What could be improved

The other staff who dealt with him and me. Firstly, i wasn't allowed to go through with him as i did 5 years ago when he had this then. Then i sat with him till it was his turn to go to theatre. This time told the rules have changed and i wasn't allowed, so they wisked him off. No mention of this i don't think in leaflets? I found the reception staff rather indifferent and unfriendly. When i went in to pick him up i found the staff in the unit unfriendly, indifferent, not reasurring as they should be, and like things were an effort. My husband said he felt this too from some of them when he was stranded alone in there. He was also refused a sip of water he requested when out of theatre and on his way back to recovery. He said he was wide awake through the whole horrible process, watched everything that happened on a screen which was right in front of him so had no choice, and the procedure was painful, when the leaflet says it is not! We both strongly feel we will refuse to go to this unit in future and choose another Day Surgery Unit in another hospital. This procedure is a real nighmare and patients need to be treated with more respect and with more dignity and to be put at ease by staff not the opposite. I have your number and i will be ringing you regarding this shortly

Anything else?

I feel sympathy for anyone having this procedure at this Day Surgery Unit. Lots of elderly people were having this, some commenting on their departure how traumatic it was. Please can something be done to make this a better experience