"Stafford Hospital Urology Appointment."

I am a patient under the supervision of the Urology Dpartment.

I have Prostate Cancer which is under 'active surviellance' this necessitates a PSA test ever three months. I attended my regular 3 month appointment last week to discuss the PSA results.

On arrival I was informed that Clinic was running approx 40 mins late. After a good hour I was called and met with a locum in the department. Fortunately the locum was able to access the PSA results from the computer as they was not in possession of my file notes.

The locum's sole paper was the Continuation sheet to note the days consultation results.

At the start of the discussion they made the assisting nurse aware of the lack of file but the nurse did not make any response or move to ascertain why they were not present.

After the consultation I queried the lack of my file with the desk receptionist, who did an immediate track on the computer to be told that they were in transit.

Now bearing in mind that the Clinic was running late and getting later, I fail to see how a patient record file, which should have been at the Clinic station for an appointment had still not arrived over an hour later.

Considering all the adverse publicity that Stafford Hospital has had over the last few years, one still gets the impression that procedures are not quite where they should be.

I will say that, prior to this I have always been happy with my treatment at the Hospital. But I do feel that bubble boards for comments are mere window dressing, papering over the cracks, whilst the fundamentals slip.

The Hospital needs all the positive publicity it can get, but if they keep failing in the basic procedures of organisation that is not going to happen. Patients only see the service from their own individual perspective and if you have an adverse experience it naturally colours ones outlook.

As I used to advise my staff in school, in the eyes of parents and the wider community you, we, the school are only as good as our last success, and one bad event kills the whole perspective.