"My 'Ward review'"

After a pre-operative assessment the previous week I went back to ARI for a 'Ward review'.  

Unfortunately, it was not a good experience, and then after 4 hours I was told my surgery would have to be cancelled due to two detached retina emergencies. I was ok with the cancellation as I was once an emergency detached retina case myself, and I thought the surgeon was excellent, but almost everything that had gone on before was frustrating, and once again the problems were about process and procedure rather than people.  The nurses were fine as they went about the job they are told to do.

When I arrived at Ward 203 it didn't seem I was expected and I was asked why I had come.   All I could say was that I had come for a 'Ward review' as this was all the information I had in the letter I had been sent. I had no idea what a 'Ward review' entails, and the nurses didn't seem to relate to the term either. The letter (unsigned) is woefully inadequate and must provide information about what will happen and how long it will take. In fact I thought the pre-assessment had been done and I would be in and out within an hour, so the lack of information really messed up my day.

The nurses explained that they had to carry out a general anaesthetic assessment and take various measurements, and then I would see the surgeon in the afternoon. In the meantime they would put drops in my eye and I mustn't drive for some hours, although it was unlikely I would be driving home as I should expect to be kept in overnight. All of this was news to me and should have been in the letter!

Then we seemed to go round the same course as in the previous week's pre-assessment - height, weight, blood pressure, blood extraction, completing a lengthy questionnaire etc. When I said all of this had been done at the earlier assessment the nurse said she was unaware of that and she certainly didn't have access to the results, although 'they will be on the system'. She insisted on going ahead, saying the results might have changed. So what was the point of the first assessment? And why have two assessments on different days? This is inconsiderate to patients and ignores the fact that patients can lead busy lives and have many commitments, as in my case.

I am always referred to as a patient, never as a customer. In my view this terminology is all about the exercise of power in the relationship.  In contrast to the rest of the economy, it seems to me that the customer is never king in the NHS.  We are supposed just to be grateful for what we get and remember it's all free. In fact, the NHS costs me a fortune through taxation.  I have no quibble with that as taxation is the price we pay to live in a civilised society, but I would like to be treated with more respect, as I am on the railways, for example, where I am a customer and no longer a passenger.

After all the tests and form filling and waiting was over I was told that my operation was cancelled. So why not have the consultation with the surgeon first?

In fact I was ok with the cancellation because I had not known the extent of the post operative care and recovery that would be essential - 6 to 10 weeks out of action basically. In my experience the NHS is very weak on advising, especially in advance, the lifestyle adjustments that will be required post surgery.

I suspect morale is not good, and I feel sorry for staff having to work in what I feel must be such a dysfunctional environment. I actually suspect they might agree with a lot of what I've said above. but we all feel powerless to do anything about it.

I realise that NHS's resources are very stretched and I worry that this is only going to get worse because too few new doctors are coming through

Finally, my work takes me to India and my Indian friends and colleagues have often told me I should have the surgery in India. I am now so disillusioned with the NHS that I am going to consider doing this, but it would surely be a sub-optimal way forward.  I sometimes wonder if the NHS is fine as a way of reducing waiting lists for fed up patients giving up and going to the private sector,