I would like to compliment the staff on the Rotherham General Hospital Gynaecology ward, B11. I experienced some exemplary nursing, particularly from two nurses who were wonderful. I absolutely felt I was treated as an individual, which makes all the difference. Because this is planned admission, they know what you’re in for they are sensitive to and accommodating of your needs. When I have been admitted to other wards, I’ve not necessarily experienced the same level of care. The consultant, Mr Ramsden, was so careful & thoughtful throughout numerous consultations, for which I was very grateful.
Less fab was a member of the senior staff who announced her arrival onto the ward with her high heels and woke me up no fewer than SEVEN times as she marched up & down the ward. I got up and spoke to her! This has happened on other wards. Everyone else wears soft soles and I feel there should be no exceptions for rank. It’s just inconsiderate.
There were just a couple of glitches. In the patient information leaflet, it says, in bold, DO NOT sit and suffer. If you need pain killers, please don’t hesitate to ask. I was experiencing serious pain, both from the surgery and my back, and asked for pain relief when the nursing staff came round after surgery. Then I enjoyed a lecture about their ‘pain ladder’, the appropriateness of which must surely depend on correctly assessing what’s required (I wasn’t asked to ‘score’ my pain, as I have been elsewhere). Fear of the pain no doubt aggravated my agitation and knowing that something stronger was being withheld made me much less able to cope. I don’t feel I should have had to wait for the Oramorph.
The Patient Information leaflet also clearly stated that we'd see a physiotherapist and be given exercises. Even though I was in for longer than expected, there was no sighting of a physio at all. The layout of the leaflet has some formatting errors – e.g. in bold in wrong place. The most important exhortation – it’s essential to increase doing your pelvic floor exercises until you’re practising 4 or 5 contraction 3 times every hour – is orphaned on the last page and thus is easy to miss. I feel comprehension and clarity is sacrificed to the hospital's corporate style.
The second thing was that the booklet I received, which was called ‘Abdominal/Vaginal Hysterectomy’ was very graphic in its language, too graphic for family use. I have two teenage sons who do not want to know about their mother’s bits. Nevertheless, there were parts of it that I’d have liked to share with them as they needed to know what I was and was not capable of doing on my return home and for the subsequent few weeks. It would have been really useful to have a simple A4 sheet which explained the basics and perhaps contained information for the family and carers of the patient and how they could help. The leaflet was not entirely appropriate for me either. My operation was a prolapse repair, with the hysterectomy being only incidental, so some of the information was not appropriate.
I found that there was a disconnect once I was discharged and I would have appreciated more specific advice earlier. A practice nurse I saw some time down the line suggested that I could use a rubber ring to prevent discomfort while seated, but I could have done with this advice at the point of being discharged home.
A general point about the hospital, rather than just the gynaecology ward. The Trust is very keen to tell me that my cultural needs will be respected, but not, it seems, in the matter of a morning cuppa. You’re often woken for obs at 6am, you have access to only a jug of cold water. Then again a little later, you’re turfed out of bed so that the bed can be made (badly), and you have a wash. Then the staff disappear for handover. Not til 8.45-9am does a hot drink appear, and then only the one cup, not a decent mugful! Having a hot drink on waking is common in this country, but it seems it’s too expensive to administer within the budget.
My experiences in the hospital have been very mixed but my stay on B11 was good, and in particular the nursing care on the ward was exemplary. I hope my thanks reach the staff.
"My experiences in the Gynaecology Ward, and elsewhere in the Rotherham General Hospital"
About: Rotherham Hospital / Gynaecology Rotherham Hospital Gynaecology Rotherham S60 2UD
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