Day 172

Oh Questionnaires don't you just love them? Sorry for starting today's blog with a rhetorical question.

Through the post(yes I know there is a strike on) I have received one of these from an outfit called the Picker Institute. It concerns my stay in Southampton general Hospital. I am grateful to Andrea(who knows much much more than I do about this kind of thing)for telling me that said institute is the Bees Knees re Patient Surveys.

Part of the difficulty I have with these things in general is that very often the questions asked don't actually fit in with my circumstances. I shall give you two examples. The Hospital in Southampton is a Regional Centre. When I was in the place, a lot of my fellow patients had like myself been referred there by another Hospital. In my case, I was sent to Southampton by St. Mary's Hospital here on the Island. The survey seemed to me to be designed on the assumption I had been referred by my GP. The second concerned waiting lists. I was invited to comment on this, did I have to wait too long etc. In my case I wasn't on any waiting list. It was suggested to me I have three courses of chemo followed by six weeks of recovery. In other words the reason I didn't have the operation until August having been confirmed as a Cancer Patient in April was a medical one.

Generally my opinion of Southampton General is very high. Had the survey been about St. Mary's I would have answered differently(see comments very early in this blog).

Today was Grand daughter Emily's Birthday. Her parents had gone to a good deal of trouble to leave clues around the house as to where she could find her presents. Altogether it was a pleasant Afternoon and Evening.

Tomorrow we are going away for just over a week. As a result my next blog entry all being well will be on either Saturday 31 October or Sunday 1 November.

Finally the clocks go back this weekend(Groan). The early darkness I do not like.