"Outstanding treatment and facilities"

What I liked

I had an MRI scan at Harrogate Hospital on Oct 3 and my GP came personally to my home (I was so grateful) just six days later with the results.I am 75 and by that time I could barely walk more than a few yards with pain, extreme at times, caused by an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal - a condition (spinal stenosis) in which the nerves which run from your legs to your spine are squashed by the bones and ligagments in the spine. My GP told me he would arrange for me to see a neurosurgeon. A letter arrived on Oct 11 giving me an NHS outpatient appointment at BMI Duchy Hospital in Harrogate. The small private Duchy hospital is just 35 minutes from my home. The Duchy Hospital has 27 beds with all rooms offering the privacy and comfort of en-suite facilities, TV and telephone. I saw the neurosurgeon to whom I had been referred on Oct 23 and was admitted to the hospital for L4 & L5 laminectomy (to take away some bone and free the nerve roots) and excision of a synovial cyst on my spine on Nov 20. Just eighteen hours after leaving the operating table I was able to walk out of the Duchy without crutches and completely free of pain! A truly amazing outcome which has given me back my life. With the 26 staples protecting my wound about to be removed I am already able to move freely and by the time I see my consultant on Dec 20 I expect to be perfectly capable of walking several miles a day!

What could be improved

Absolutely nothing. Before leaving I was given some physiotherapy excisises to do at home and and the physiotherapist checked that I was able to walk freely along the hospital corridors and up and and down stairs. In hospital I was able to choose what I wanted from the menu for breakfast and lunch. The food was truly excellent and served on fine china. It goes without saying, but needs to be said, that the surgeon, anaesthetist (who both put me completely at ease), nursing team (especially the staff nurse and the night nurse) were wonderful. I could not have had a more caring, dedicated and professional medical team and my grateful thanks are also due in full measure to my GP who set everything up for me. This was the NHS at its very best.

Anything else?

The Duchy provided me with all the information I needed before the operation. In advance of my stay, they sent me booklets explaining pre-admission consultation (I had this five days before surgery), how to prepare for my stay, what to bring and what would happen on arrival, during my stay and on going home. I had keyhole day surgery (Laparoscopic hernia repair) at the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton last year and again the NHS treatment I received was excellent. My experience of the NHS at GP level and in two hospitals has been quite outstanding.