Dorset County Hospital

...the orthopaedic unit of the Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester, Dorset.

I was given a choice of three hospitals, in line with the government's policy of offering a choice and I feel that I made the correct decision.

The choices on the list were The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital, Poole General Hospital and the Dorset county.
Bournemouth was too far away, Poole is not a very nice hospital so I was left ...
...have no hesitation in recommending Dorset County Hospital to anyone who needs to choose a hospital in Dorset or south Somerset.

My shoulder is healing up nicely, one week after the op. There was no bruising and the stitches are due to fall out any time. I can now, for the first time in over a year, raise my left hand above my head.

15/07/09
I am now at home again recovering from my second shoulder operation by the ... more

I am at present resting at home after an operation on my left shoulder, made necessary after a clumsy fall that compressed the shoulder joint.

After a regimen of physiotherapy and steroids it was deemed that an operation called a subacromial decompression was arranged and took place at the orthopaedic unit of the Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester, Dorset.

I was given a choice of three hospitals, in line with the government's policy of offering a choice and I feel that I made the correct decision.

The choices on the list were The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital, Poole General Hospital and the Dorset county.
Bournemouth was too far away, Poole is not a very nice hospital so I was left with Dorchester .

First Impressions

Once the appointment for surgery was made I was asked to attend a Anaesthesia Pre-Assessment surgery, This consisted of a thorough physical, blood tests, swabs for MRSA and an explanation of what was going to happen. This hospital is at the top of the UK league table for hospital acquired infections and it is easy to see why, all staff follow personal hygiene routines rigorously, At no time during my stay did I see anyone fail to wash their hands or not use the alcohol gel.

The waiting list was quite long so the assessment was repeated once my appointment came through.

The hospital is quite up to date, is fairly easy to navigate around and has an excellent collection of art around the building, which is fun for anyone waiting to be seen.
In particular, one one landing, one of the waiting areas is occupied by the figure of an old lady gazing at a large wooden horse.
On the downside, those wishing to park their cars on site will need to have deep pockets and it might be better to find a space on a nearby road.

My Experience

On arrival at the unit, Ridgeway Ward at 07.30 on Monday 13th October, I was greeted by their receptionist and made comfortable in the waiting room. after a few minutes a member of the surgical team came in and checked on the procedure we were expecting. They were open to questions and more importantly, they clearly marked the operation site on my arm with a permanent marker.

I was shown to a bed, got undressed and donned that most wonderful of garments, the gown, and relaxed until the anaesthetist arrived to administer the pre-med and explain what they were going to do.

He was explaining how they were going to use a nerve blocking technique that would numb my arm as well as a general anaesthetic.

Finally they injected my arm and the next thing I knew was waking up back on the ward. I was in no discomfort at all but everything felt a little strange.

I had an oxygen mask on, a blood pressure cuff and a fingertip sensor that was monitoring my pulse and oxygen saturation levels.
In addition to these, I was wearing a couple of devices on my lower legs that were massaging my calves to prevent deep vein thrombosis.
This was great but for one thing, I woke up dying for a wee.

This was where I discovered how good the care is in this unit.

I buzzed for a nurse and within a couple of seconds there was someone at my side. I explained my dilemma and she soon came back with a bottle, pulled the curtains round and re-arranged my tubes and wires so that I could stand up and enjoy the moment.

The bottle was collected very promptly and disposed of.
I was helped back into bed and drifted off to sleep until dinner came round.

My left arm was still completely dead from the nerve block but they made sure that I was able to feed myself before moving on, I had my food cut up for me for the first time in nearly five decades.

The night passed and soon it was time to be woken up. Seven am is early for some but for me it was a lie in. Tea was served then the usual process of making us comfortable, giving out the required drugs and serving breakfast.
After breakfast the consultant made his rounds. I was interested to see that each member of his team cleaned their hands and I was pleased that they spoke to me in clear terms and didn't have any of the arrogance we normally associate with ward rounds.

I was discharged later that morning, after re-dressing the wounds (three in all), issuing me with pain killers and advice on exercises.

In all I was very impressed with the hospital, it was very clear that all the members of the team were exactly that, a team and a team that worked together very well. At no time was I left uncertain of what was going to happen and to cap it all off, we had a good laugh as well.

Based on my experience I would have no hesitation in recommending Dorset County Hospital to anyone who needs to choose a hospital in Dorset or south Somerset.

My shoulder is healing up nicely, one week after the op. There was no bruising and the stitches are due to fall out any time. I can now, for the first time in over a year, raise my left hand above my head.

15/07/09
I am now at home again recovering from my second shoulder operation by the same consultant and in the same ward. The initial joint decompression revealed a tattered and torn tendon, which has been repaired. The high standards I observed in October are still the same, as is the efficiency of the staff. The only criticism I would make is about the chairs in the waiting room, which are a tad bony.  

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