“The care has been beyond my expectations” – that’s the feedback from patients at a hospital’s surgical centre during a special visit.
Councillor Carole Thompson, the ceremonial mayor of Hartlepool, and her consort councillor Phil Holbrook took a tour of the surgical replacement unit at the University Hospital of Hartlepool recently.
The unit forms part of the hospital’s nationally accredited surgical hub, treating patients having orthopaedic operations including hip and knee replacements as well as gynaecology, surgical and breast procedures.
Councillors Thompson and Holbrook spoke to patients like Brian Redshaw, 70, from Blackhall, who was recovering in the unit following hip replacement surgery.
Speaking from the unit, he said: “This is now my fourth replacement I have had here over the past decade – I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.
“The staff are brilliant, I couldn’t fault anyone or anything about my experience. The care has been beyond my expectations.
“From the teams who have helped me before surgery, to the team in surgery and now the team here in the unit helping me recover, everything has been very professional.”
Councillor Thompson also spoke with David Ayre, 62, from Stockton, who had knee joint replacement surgery.
He said: “The procedure was painful but the care has been excellent and everything I would have wanted.
“The entire pathway has been very smooth – from my meeting with the GP to the physios and then the treatment here at Hartlepool.
“Staff have kept me well informed along every step of the journey.”
“Very impressed” by surgical centre
Councillor Thompson, who worked at the hospital for many years as an occupational therapist, also visited the chemotherapy unit during her visit.
She said: “As a Hartlepool girl, this is somewhere that is very familiar to me.
“I have been having a look at what the teams are doing here and I am very impressed.
“The elective ward – and the work they are doing performing surgery like hip and knee replacements – is absolutely brilliant.
“We need to shout about it and let everyone know just how great it is here.”
Accredited NHS England surgical centre
Two years ago, the hospital was awarded GIRFT (Getting It Right First Time) surgical hub accreditation, an NHS England initiative recognising excellence in clinical and operational performance.
It means the service has dedicated staffing and resources, meaning planned operations are able to continue at all stages of the year.
It is one of two surgical centre run by University Hospitals Tees, with a state-of-the-art service run at the Friarage Hospital in Northallerton.
Leeann Thomson, the unit’s ward matron, said: “It was great to welcome the ceremonial mayor and her consort to the unit to speak to staff and patients.
“We consistently get fantastic feedback from our patients about their whole journey through the hospital’s surgical centre.
“This is thanks to the passionate and dedicated teams we have here doing everything they can for patients.”