Thanks John. I'm glad you expericened some of the things I did.
As I said before, I do think things can be improved a little.
I am very grateful that I was given the chance to have surgery, even if it didnt go as planned , but there ARE things that could be improved. Here are some of my thoughts on Sunderland :
Intro meeting - very good. One of the surgeons does a bit of a talk, and you get a basic leaflet on the different surgeries. Some of the ex patients come in and you have time to ask a few questions.
Dietition meeting - the lady who does this was lovely. The only person I believe I met from the bariatric team in the individual meetings.
A few other points that could be improved :
-Not meeting / dealing with bariatric staff at ALL appointments. Other staff can't answer your questions. Many of them don't even agree with surgery for obesity. And without saying anything, it's fairly obvious when your meeting is with one of these people).
- Having your first evaluation meeting in front of receptionists etc. Having to answer questions about thoughts of suicide etc with an audience. It doesnt really feel very confidential. Luckily I had no concerns there, but for some people it could have been uncomfortable. The room this was done in was used by other people, who sat there while your feedback was discussed.
- Not getting a follow up meeting if your surgery type is changed / the staff think a gastric bypass is better suited. There is no real chance in the process to ask questions in the individual meetings. When you are told this you have a 5-10 minute meeting. At this point, if it's not the surgery you were expecting, you might not even HAVE any questions, as it's not the surgery you may have fully researched. In my experience, the man who does this meeting is not even from the bariatric team.
- Not knowing if other people involved in the investigations know why you are there. Who are they ? Can you ask them questions ? Will they know the answers ? Do they understand why people have / need the surgery (I dont think he did).
- Queries over who is dealing with you and what their role is. The person named on your letter isnt usually the person you meet. I was told by the guy at my meeting he would do my gastroscopy. It wasn't him. The things I had asked him about (gallbladder/ hernias etc) were left in the air with no answer.
- Hospital notes not matching what actually happened / what was said. Or not being told info that is on them (eg you have a hernia).
- Diet sheets arriving after the diet has started.
- Ward admittance letters not arriving. Where do you go for your op ? What day and time ?
I know the process takes a year or more, however when you add up the total time spent actually speaking to hospital staff, it totals around 30 minutes (and this includes the time to get the gastroscopy). It's not a lot of time for such a huge operation.
There are some lovely staff at Sunderland. As in all places there are also others who dont want to be there / think that obesity patients are just lazy. It's probably the same everywhere you go.
All hospitals could do with more people like the dietition lady you first meet. Obesity patients should only be seen by people who know and understand the problem. It makes sense for both sides.
