My mother was a patient at Watford General for over three weeks, and was in the Intensive Care Unit following her operation. She is now recovering at home and I am submitting this review on her behalf. These are her words: ‘Mr Patel, with his calm and kind professional authority, always seemed to impart to me – no matter how deeply anxious I was at the time – a renewed sense of hope and confidence in the future that was still a possibility. I did, of course, also appreciate enormously the care and attention that I received from all the nursing staff at Watford General.’ I too would like to express my deepest gratitude to Mr Patel and to the nurses for the exceptional care that they showed to my mother throughout her time in hospital. As the operation took place during the Covid 19 Lockdown, all communication had to be via telephone rather than in person. Thanks to the exceptional attentiveness, expertise, and sensitivity of Mr Patel and the nurses looking after my mother, I was able to keep very well informed and reassured about her progress. I would like to thank Mr Patel very much indeed for speaking to me at length on the telephone both before and after my mother’s operation. He explained to me very clearly why the operation was necessary, exactly what it would involve, what the benefits and risks of the operation were, and how long my mother might need to stay in hospital to recover following the operation. He answered all my questions most informatively and sensitively. I was immensely appreciative that he phoned me as soon as the operation had been done. I felt that that call showed an exceptional degree of attentiveness and understanding towards family members. My deepest thanks to Mr Patel for taking such good care of my dear mother.
A carer at Watford General Hospital