Chorley and South Ribble Hospital

Excellent - No problems at all

The service received was very good and the NHS gets a lot of bad press it doesn't deserve

I came first thing in the morning around 8am and I was the last one for my operation at 4pm so was unable to eat anything throughout the day. The information provided was not as clear as I thought. It took me longer to recover than expected. My experience could have been improved by offering me some food earlier on. Also, not to be left waiting all day especially when you are scared and anxious. I've not had a major operation previously.

My operation was OK. It was the aftercare that was poor. I waited quite a while but unsure of the length of time. My leg was left 1cm short but I wasn't told that. After the operation, the registrar said they didn't have to shorten my leg. I was very sick after anesthetic so I couldn't eat much. The literature is misleading as it said patients would be walking normally within 6-8 weeks but it was much longer than this for me. I have asked my GP to refer me to Writhington Hospital for my other hip replacement. Improvements - 1. Ward itself, it was very chaotic. Staff should give more attention to patients. I was left to wash (bed bath) myself the day after the operation. I found the staff uncaring and did not have time to interact with patients. 2. There was also no reassurance from staff on how you're feeling. 3. I also noticed friction between different members of staff. My follow up was nurse led. This was 3 months after the operation and I felt it was a tick box exercise. I have had no other appointments since that follow-up. My next appointment is on 5th December in the Narnia Suite at Chorley Hospital.

My step son has ulcerative colitis - it affects the stomach downwards. It causes bleeding, loose stools for hours and pain. He lives with the fear of getting a flare up. When he had a serious flare he was admitted to Chorley. He has been under the care of Dr Drake since he was 17-18. They said that he had a choice of having a storma and removal of part or all of his bowels or taking medication. He is now taking infliximab which is like a chemotherapy drug. There is a team of dedicated clinical nurses. He goes for cyclical infusion every 8 weeks. If he has a flare up we contact the nurses through a helpline and they make a decision to prescribe medication or call him in for an appointment. They always give him a very thorough examination and he is very well looked after and not rushed. He feels comfortable with the staff because they are familiar and he is there with his family. We haven't waited long to be seen - about 5 minutes. They always ask if you want information in terms of what has been sent back to the GP. As an inpatient the light and noise can cause problems. They do a hospital passport though, we got a copy recently.

Whilst I was in hospital, I had a fall in the toilets, I told the nurse on the ward but she had no consideration for me as she was busy with other things. The physio was awful- to help me walk up the stairs he did not use any stairs, instead he took me in the shower and used the shower tray as a step to practice.

Knee operation - After my operation I complained was in pain and thought the nurses will give me some pain killers but none were given. I had to request and I think this is not good as it should be offered, especially after a big operation.

Whilst I was on the ward, I complained to the morning doctor that I had a knee infection, he said it was nothing, when I complained at night to the night doctor he said straight away that I had an infection and was given the necessary medication.
When I told the morning doctor, he was still adamant that it was not an infection. At my time of discharge, I was rushed as they needed the bed for someone else and I ended up losing some of my clothes.

My care has been excellent. I have spent three and a half months in hospital (close to death - 4 years ago) and the care I have received has been excellent. Superb hospital

Not had feedback information every week. Some weeks are better than others or I have had to ask.