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Prostate Care had no focus on Patient needs,

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"Prostate Care had no focus on Patient needs,"

About: Southmead Hospital

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The administration worked very well. Appointment time and clinics were very organised. However the information I was told on prostate treatments was not complete and side effects were either not commented upon or simply advised they would be resolved. This was far from the truth as some of the treatment side effects are permanent and cannot be restored/reversed. Risks were not fully identified when given treatment options.

Male cancer requires discussions with female nurses including intimate discussions. I was advised there was no immediate male clinician options for this at the clinics and had to put up with sub standard care as men somehow do not seem to need the same modesty and privacy issues as women health issues. This resulted in the nurse specialists being able to fully empathise with some treatment side effects and they tended to dismiss issues are trivial in nature when in fact they were critically important to me. I felt the service was well run but the medical and personal care was very poor and lacked any patient choice or honesty. My concerns were too easily dismissed. I felt I made wrong choices based on a lack of real and honest information.

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Responses

Response from Southmead Hospital 11 years ago
Southmead Hospital

Submitted on 20/02/2013 at 19:26
Published on nhs.uk on 21/02/2013 at 04:15

Dear Henri – thank you for your email. I am pleased that you found the clinics well organised and well run, but I am sorry you found the service lacked any patient choice or honesty.

It is not acceptable that your concerns were dismissed and that appropriate time and care was not taken to explain the treatment options and associated risks, and I have passed on this feedback to the manager of the urology service to ensure they are aware and can take action to address this.

I also regret that you felt the female nurses were not able to empathise due to the intimate nature of the condition and, that this led to sub-standard care. Unfortunately, just as male consultants and nurses are often involved in female gynaecology, or breast care, it is not always possible to provide same sex support to male patients. However, extensive training is provided and the condition should be well understood to allow staff of both sexes to support patients. I will also pass on your feedback on this issue.

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to provide your comments to allow us the opportunity of being able to improve services for other patients.

Kind regards – Steve Sykes

Advice and Complaints Team

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