"Shoulder operation and the care I received"

Went in for a reverse left shoulder replacement recently (and I didn't know until recently that such items were in the NHS catalogue!)

What a team in this unit. Busy, busy, but always cheerful and keeping an eye on the patients as they went about their work. I really appreciated how I was kept informed about each stage of my procedure. There are so many examples of excellent care I saw - to myself and the other patients with no room to enter here. One example will need to suffice - night shift - I am struggling to get comfortable enough to sleep - or even rest. A student nurse (Temi I think?) spotted me as she walked past the ward door. I explained my problem. She went off to check with another nurse then came back and sorted me so comfortably into the bed. She then returned a short while later to check if I was OK. I am sure that the nurses only see this kind of thing as their job, but the effect on this ageing, creaky, old guy, made the painful surgery easier to cope with.

I must also say that, although I have been in hospital several times in my life, I have never seen such a busy team - nurses, physios, doctors and the other specialisms - and always with a smile and comforting words for everyone. Now at home with a new shoulder. Still painful but that pain will fade - but the memory of the care will not fade for me.  Thanks Stracathro Surgical Unit.