"Bowel surgery"

Having just got home from Albany Regional Hospital after bowel surgery I feel compelled to make some observations. Firstly I was anxious and quite frankly scared given everyone kept saying ‘major’ when referring to the operation and its potential consequences.

First some bouquets:

Thank you Wendy (admissions) and Holly (pre admission nurse) for helping me understand what was going to happen during my operation.

Thank you Jenny Bevan (Team Leader nurse) for your smile and reassurance when I arrived for the surgery that I was in excellent hands and all would be ok (it was just what I needed to hear to calm me and give me the confidence to see it through).

Blessings to Dr Tom (Surgeon) and Dr Zoran (Anesthetist)and your surgeon team for the successful operation and Dr James (pain specialist), Duncan, Sophie, Leanne, Jane and the other nurses and hospital staff that took such great care of me while I recovered and made sure that everything was ok. I am grateful for your kindness and compassion and humbled to have met you all.

Now a brickbat:

To the current Cooke government and your predecessors and the subsequent ones - please stop lauding yourselves with your health announcements and self congratulatory pats on the back. In my opinion the WACHS needs help and you have dropped the ball. Saying your going to give Albany a new ward and Bunbury this and somewhere else that tells me you are failing to provide the one service we all need available now - health. In my opinion, you are years behind already and I really don’t think you are going to catch up at this rate. I believe the experts you are using to providing you with forecasts for future demands they haven’t got a clue and don’t understand the need for long term planning of health requirements in growing regional areas. Please spend those millions supporting the beautiful and dedicated health workers I met and all the others in WA that go way beyond their pay levels because they are the ones that count and will still be working away long after politicians have taken big fat retirement bonus and have sailed away.

Lastly to my hospital buddy Mick in bed 16 thank you for helping me keep my spirits up with your chats it was just what I needed and I hope your toes make it mate.